Welcome back to another round of the Five Minute Friday link-up!
If you’re new, you can learn more about how it works here.
Basically, I give a one-word writing prompt every week and writers from all over the world gather together to freewrite for five minutes flat on that word, then we read each other’s posts to meet new friends and encourage one another in our writing lives.
Sound like fun?
This week’s writing prompt is: EXPERIENCE
GO.
I used to be a lot more sentimental about material things than I am now. Maybe it comes with age. Maybe I’ve changed after a few international moves, and discovering what a pain it is to either haul stuff back and forth or keep it in storage on the other side of the world.
Either way, I am less attached to my belongings than I used to be.
Since this shift has taken place gradually over time, I’ve also changed the way I view birthdays, Christmas, and other holidays or occasions that may involve gift-giving.
While I still appreciate any gift I am given, I’ve learned that gifts involving experiences can be just as meaningful if not more so than a material gift.
I’m still thinking about my experience going to see a live performance of the musical, Hamilton, with my daughter last week. It’s an experience that neither of us will quickly forget.
And while we don’t have any tangible souvenirs or mementos to display, we do have wonderful memories (and a few before and after photographs as well).
What about you? Do you prefer receiving material gifts, or gifts you can experience, like an outing with someone special or tickets to an anticipated event?
STOP.
Join the link-up with your own five-minute freewrite below!
Experience is the teacher,
experience is the key,
and sometimes is the preacher
of star-crossed victory.
Experience holds the lesson
that we must daily learn,
that we must be confessing
a grace we cannot earn.
Experience holds in tender hands
the gift that makes us whole
and bids us fair to understand
salvation for the soul.
Experience marks the real details;
a rough-hewn cross, three bloody nails.
As I get older, experiences every time! But this Valentine’s, I dedicated a tree to my husband through The Woodland Trust so I guess that’s material but we can also go visit it – so double win.
We took the same spin on this word! I wrote before reading yours as I always do. I want to write from my heart and head. I love that you got to go to Hamilton with your daughter. We have yet to see that one. I may need to read the book/play first! I hope you have some wonderful experiences with your family this weekend!
Love
Jenn
I’d much rather have the memory of a good experience than have a trinket on a shelf!
Experience: I like to find God in everyday experience. Me and my husband and my two sons went to Nagign Falls in Canda. We went and stay in a family holder. If I remember correctly are room was on the eight floor. We went down and watch the water flow from the falls and we went on a boat ride and went under the water falls that was truly and experience that I find God in and his presence with us.It was really a good experience for us. We went on a tour and saw different things. one of them that come to mind is the Buterflies building with different colors of Butterflies. They landed on are shoulders and stay there while we walked around. It was an experience to find God in these butterflies that he created.