Live with the Objects You Love

The treasured things we select to live with are so deeply personal

and so meaningful that they are the material echo of our heart and
our soul. Objects we collect are strong symbols, reminders of
expansive
experiences that evoke strong memories. I’m a great believer in
expressing
sentimental, nostalgic feelings through the tangible things we gather
to
live with at home.
Your home can’t be too personal. We all want to know more about
the interests, adventures, and passions of loved ones through the
unusual,
colorful, meaningful objects they collect over their lifetimes. What you
love gives you a sense of spirit of place, a feeling of belonging, of
home.
You’re among friends. You miss your treasures when you’re away.
Things
you love raise your spirits when you return home. They welcome you
as
reminders of who you are, who you were, and who you are becoming.
When you love something, there is a reason why. You may have an
interesting story behind how you came to discover it, how you
reacted,
how you came to love it. It really doesn’t matter what the object is—it
could be a painting, an old piece of crystal, or a hand-hooked rug. If
you
acquired a quilt or a hand-blown vase or a writing desk because it
touched
your soul, if it means a lot to you regardless of its market value, it was
meant to be. When you bring home and live with objects, you are
touched

by mysterious connections between you and the maker of something

that
you find beautiful.
Whenever I’ve fallen in love with something, I usually have vivid
memories of the beautiful experience that surrounded the moment of
discovery. You can put something you love here or there. Chances are
the
object you love will not end up where you thought it would. You feel
the
warmth of the presence of this special item no matter where you
decide
to put it.
I remember when a woman begged me to sell her a small painting
by Roger Mühl that was resting on an easel on our mantel in our living
room. She was totally in love with this picture of a sun-drenched
cottage
in Provence by the Mediterranean Sea. I held the painting in my
hands.
On the back was a note from Peter who’d given this to me as a gift at
one of the artist’s openings. I opened the envelope and read his
words;
tears streamed down my cheeks. There was no way I could part with
this
painting. When we love something deeply, and it was a gift from our
love, it is a double blessing to be able to live with it.
When you look around other people’s houses, you will observe things
that are meaningful to them. What are the characteristics of the
things that
enlighten and inspire your soul? What draws you to a French provincial
table or an old patchwork quilt or a particular work of art? Studying
the
objects you love deepens their beauty and illuminating power.
If you purchase something while you are on a romantic trip with
your spouse or if you’re on a family vacation and your children help
you select the object, you will have a strong attachment to this object
that you may never outgrow. I see this so often as an interior designer.
I
ask a client about the signifi cance of an item and I hear an
outpouring
of emotion.
A useful exercise is to go to a neutral place where you are not near
any
of your treasures. Make a list—stream of consciousness—of all the
things
you most adore, including a favorite jacket or bracelet or photograph
album or antique chair. Mentally scan your rooms and closets, trying
to
visualize all of the objects you most love. You will find, by writing down
a
wide range of objects, that certain items are of key importance to you.
What are some of your treasured objects you most love? Why do
you have such a strong attachment to them? What do they represent
that
is intangible and invisible? The Buddha instructs that we have to give
up our attachments to things in order not to suffer. This is true. I feel
we suffer, however, when we are not connected to objects of our
desire,
the favorite things we’ve grown to love and adore. To have never had
the opportunity or the privilege to live with objects that are beautiful,
meaningful, and good for us is to suffer.
While we’re still here on this physical plane, let us celebrate all the
amazing beauty that is available to us. So many of the objects of our
affection offer a mysterious connection between the resources of
nature
and man’s impulse to create something original. The things you love
are not on display or for show. They are private intimate connections
to
amazing experiences in all parts of the globe, to loved ones who know
what you adore, and to a strange and wonderful connection you and I
have to certain things that speak to us and for us. The objects we
adore are
made from human energy and spirit. When the energy is good, the
object
is good and good for you.

What are some of your favorite treasures? What do you value and
love that tells a story and that you don’t want to part with until you
die? I
remember in the early 60s falling in love with two primitive ceramic
dolls
while on vacation in Greece. I can’t tell you now or perhaps ever why
they
spoke to me and still do all these years later, but they do. There is
something
about this pair of male and female ceramic dolls that speaks to my
essence.
My soul is involved. They cost eight dollars and are priceless.
Choose to live with things you love. Refuse to live with things you
don’t need, want, or desire. There is no point. Life is fragile and short.
Be
sure you are the caregiver to objects you truly love. There is a lot of
stuff
out there and it is just stuff. Far better to weed things out so you have
fewer but more favorite things around to use and enjoy. Be true to
your

heart by surrounding yourself with things that have great meaning,

that
are representative of your spirit. There are so many people who aren’t
able to live with objects they love. Reach out to these souls. We have
to
constantly remind ourselves just how fortunate we are.