My journey to construct a meaningful life from items found in gift shops lead me to Lawrence's. Having never stepped foot inside Lawrence's, I was unprepared for the overwhelming amount of miscellanea collected under one roof. The shop was crammed with of varying vintages: shiny plates, custom letterhead, wine bottles, necklaces, tote bags, and more. You name it, Lawrence's probably has it. Despite a surplus of gifts to choose from, I struggled to identify items indicative of a meaningful life. After all, the gifts are not intrinsically significant. Rather, it is the experience surrounding a gift that adds value. Who gives the gift, how its used, how its given or even when it's given, make a gift special. Each item I chose represents a portion or component of a healthy life.
The cross pictured above represents faith. Religion brings meaning to life. It tempers action and fosters community. In my eyes, a person with faith is a balanced person. Their time spent in service acts to clear the mind of work or school. Furthermore, they are a part of something much larger, a community of like minded individuals. These people act as friends and mentors.
I selected this last gift to represent friendship. This looks like something you may see on a table or a bar at a social gathering. When I looked at this gift I immediately thought of a group of people having a good time, catching up with one another. Again, though this gift is not intrinsically meaningful, it renders images of friends or family having a good time, catching up and forging bonds.
I've come to the conclusion that it is impossible to construct a meaningful life from knick-knacks found in gift shops. Sure, they may contribute to a special experience, but they are ultimately superficial and meaningless without friends and family to give them significance.
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