Today marks the fulfillment of an agenda of objectives, three things I’ve had on my mind for the past many weeks. They are in truth things, no more than that, not ideas or plans or meetings, just things, things no more dignified than any others. Forgive me for appearing to be coy about what in particular the things are. The thesis and consequence that arises from the attainment of the objectives is the lesson, not the objectives (or things) themselves.  What after all does it matter in any event what the things are?  If I were to say one thing or another, the credibility is likely no different; and the magnetism of one thing or another is highly unlikely at least universally.  In any event, as I say, what matters is the outcrop of the so-called seeds that were planted. Clearly the episode has affected me both intellectually and emotionally. As someone who considers it is the little things that so often matter, I am provoked to analyze this tertiary dénouement.

To begin with it entertains me that there were in fact three things. Actually one of them – the second – was the theme of a subordinate manifestation. Within the whole there was an off-shoot so to speak, another similar exposition of the same thing. I have specifically excluded this abstract demonstration because apart from colour the things are identical.

The fact that there were predominantly three things in no way classifies them as related.  Indeed I cannot imagine three more unrelated things – the first is large, the second and third are small. The one is made of multiple ingredients; the second and third are respectively made of singular products. One is more expensive than the other two; but the third is more expensive by ratio (that is, cost to size). The first and second are manufactured, carrying notable names in their respective industries; the third is custom made (and local by the way).

But enough of this guessing game and deliberate enticement!  The critical detail is not what they are but what thoughts they have engendered.  First and foremost it must be said that all three have afforded a degree of satisfaction which is uncommon. This has not been a casual shopping spree but rather a carefully adjudicated endeavour. I will state by exemplification that I devoted as much attention to the purchase of a $5 plastic toy cow as I did to these three items. The overwhelming characteristic is that the things were conceived as noteworthy for whatever reason, reasons that really don’t matter any more than one’s preference for cilantro or chive matters.

The second feature of significance is that all three things involve personal expression; specifically, mine. I suppose in general this is not entirely spectacular but I believe the broader truth is that many things, while chosen for their beauty, utility or individuality, do not routinely reflect the character of the purchaser. The three things I bought are aligned with the threads of my being.  A juristic examination of the things and their acquisition would readily disclose an affinity from start to finish.

The third and final feature of the three things is on the face of it an unfortunate result. It is reminiscent of the damaging assertion, “Vanity, vanity, all is vanity!”

Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. [3] What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? … [8] All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

The regrettable thing about things is that they are oft-times subject to precipitous damage and utter defeat. This does not however prevent us from engaging in the ritual and ceremony of acquisition and the hopefulness that springs from such anticipated renewal. Yet it is a perilous plight! How soon we can be struck from the heights of enterprise to the level of accommodation and unanticipated transubstantiation. Yet one must remain sanguine. The evident miscalculation of one’s projects is not to be taken as defeat but rather as embroidered embarkation. The plain fact is that some things work; others do not. There is however discovery in every course of action. Sometimes we must learn the lesson of difference and unanticipated result, recalling as we must that past behaviour is not always reliable. These are but some of the things to decipher from the purely materialistic researches!