Many years ago I saw this written on a bumper sticker: “Whoever Has The Most stuff When he Dies Wins!” It really struck me and it has left a lasting impression. Is life really a game where we're meant to accumulate as much as possible? I see it as a sad commentary on modern day life. It seems that we think that we “need” so many things! 

  How Many Ads Are we Exposed to Every Day?  

  In our western society the line between wants and needs has definitely been blurred! According to an article at redcrowmarketing.com digital marketing experts estimate that most Americans are exposed to between 4,000 and 10,000 advertisements per day! Another source, Yankelovich, a market research firm, estimates that a city dweller 30 years ago saw 2,000 adverts a day while a city dweller today is exposed to 5,000 adverts. 

What? That’s a lot of ads!   

What Does All of  This Have to do With a Fireplace Poker?  

 About 10 years ago we had a high efficiency insert put into our fireplace and we discussed purchasing a tool set for the fireplace. There is no end to makes, models and prices for these accessories.    

Need a poker for your fireplace? There are scores to choose from at all prices!

While shopping around for a nice set I settled on using a stick that I found in the woods. Well, 10 years have passed and I’m still using the SAME stick! I use the clean end to open the fireplace door when the handle gets too hot and the poking end to move the logs around. 10 years! The same stick!   

Keep in mind that we use the fireplace almost every evening in the winter or about 100 times per year. When I need to sweep out the ashes I use a little brush and a dustpan. 

My trusty stick. Small, natural and free! Still going strong after 10 years and I think that it looks great!

  Points to Ponder  

• Did I really need the fireplace set? 
• Do I really need a lot of the stuff that I have? 
• Would my life be better or worse with less stuff?  

  What About You?  

• Do you have too much stuff? 
• Do you really need everything that you have?
• Are we bombarded by too much advertising?
• Should we have adverts on Steemit? 

I hope that you enjoyed my little story about something that I really didn't need!

Until next time,

@kus-knee (The Old Dog)

Remember, I reward the best comment(s) on each of my posts with my "The Old Dog is Throwing You a Bone" program! So please re-steem and follow so that we can spread the wealth!