There are some things that mean more to me than others. I have a sewing machine that was my mom's that I still use. A few Christmas ornaments made by my four children and pictures on my desk of them laughing. I have a little red sailor jacket that my mom wore when she was a teenager. My diploma. The ironing board that was my grandfather's. The doll my uncle brought me back from Peru. A journal that my father started that had only five entries. The ring I always wear on my left thumb.

Yes, they are just things, but they have great value and really are irreplaceable. But when I thought about their irreplaceability, I also thought of how I might react, should they become lost or broken or destroyed. What would I do, how would I go on. The fact of the matter is that I would. The alternative is not an option. We are given things or we earn things but they are just things. And the memory or the thought of them would be enough to make me smile or think of the person attached to that object.

There are things that help us to get by in this life - technology (including phones, cars, computers) and necessary medications, or shelter (house, condo, apartment, etc). Then, there are things of sentimental value, of which I described above. There are also things that we just want, either out of greed or lust or we just feel we deserve. And I guess there is a place for those things. Of course, there is a place for those things. They can be great motivators for individuals to achieve great things. I know a young salesman whose desire for a "nice" car will drive his sales higher than anyone else at his company. That ends up being good for the company too, right?

When I first started in this biz as a part-time sourcer, I was making $6 an hour. Along with coaching sports at the local junior high and my dental assisting career, I barely got by. I remember cashing my first sourcing check for $66; I figured out that I could feed me and my four kids at Wendy's for only $6, total, it was a treat! So, because I have been to a place where food for my kids was more important than the ability to purchase the latest iPod or Bentley, I have conjured a different perspective for myself.

There is a place for Bentleys and iPods, to be sure. There is also a place for humanity and humility. Every experience we have, every person we meet creates the person we are constantly evolving into. And I know, I always seem to come back to this, but treating others how you would like to be treated would seem to solve a lot of problems in a neighborhood, region, country, world....