The home of Carl Sandburg was a nice home on a very scenic piece of land. But the inside was quite different from what one would imagine it to be. It was...well...nothing spectacular. It had no fine furnishings. The furniture was shabby and worn. It wasn't nicely decorated. It contained the necessary essentials. The one noticeable thing about the house was the number of books it contained. Each room contained at least one or two walls that were nothing but floor to ceiling bookshelves. Sandburg owned thousands of books. The books still in the home are only a few of the number he actually owned. Some of his collection has been sold or given away.
The tour guide told us that both Carl and his wife cared nothing for money or material possessions. His idea of success was not in the number of material possessions one owned, but in personal achievements. What a great way of looking at life.
I drive to work each day looking at the McMansions on the side of the road, and often wonder to myself why people feel the need to own such giant luxurious homes. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it I have to wonder, however...if many of us have our priorities wrong. Are we as proud of our personal achievements as we are of the "things" we surround ourselves with? It seems that we associate these "things" with success...as if we have to prove ourselves to onlookers. How nice it would be if we could just be satisfied with our accomplishments...whether we get accolades from anyone else or not. How nice it would be if we could be satisfied just to look in the mirror at the end of each day and tell ourselves, "Great job."
Hearing the history of Carl Sandburg made me rethink many of my priorities. I'm going to try and simplify the way I look at things....including myself. Somehow I think this might just be the key to being happy with my life as it is.
Home of Carl Sandburg, Photo by Cheryl Williams, 2014
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