The Treasures That Last Forever

I spent the long weekend watching crowds surge through a local shopping centre, arms loaded with bags, faces tight with urgency. So much rushing, so much buying, so much chasing. It struck me how desperately we pursue things that won't last. There has to be something more.

We spend our lives collecting things we believe will last. The new couch promises decades of comfort and may even withstand trends. The expensive watch that should become a family heirloom. The perfectly curated wardrobe that reflects who we want to be. Yet stand in any Op shop and you'll see the truth. Mountains of once treasured possessions, now worth pennies, waiting for someone else to temporarily claim them. Nothing we buy comes with a forever guarantee.

Our homes can be filled with treasures that promise permanence but deliver disappointment. The smartphone that felt revolutionary becomes obsolete in eighteen months. The car that turned heads, now developing wear and tear in the driveway. Even our home, our most significant investment, requires constant maintenance against entropy's patient siege. We polish, protect, and preserve, yet everything we own is slowly surrendering to time.

But what if we're investing in the wrong kind of treasure altogether?

There's a wealth that doesn't depreciate, a currency that appreciates with every transaction. It's found not in what we accumulate, but in what we release into the world. When we give our time to listen to someone who's struggling, we create something imperishable. When we offer encouragement to someone who's lost hope, we plant seeds that bloom long after we're gone.

Think about the teacher who believed in you when you doubted yourself. That moment of faith cost her nothing material, yet its value in your life is immeasurable. Consider the stranger who helped you when your car broke down, asking nothing in return. These acts of generosity created treasures that your memory still holds decades later.

The mathematics of giving defy earthly economics. A meal shared with someone hungry doesn't just fill one stomach, it nourishes dignity, builds connection, and often inspires the recipient to feed someone else one day. Mentoring a young person doesn't just transfer knowledge; it sets off a chain reaction of potential that ripples through generations. Forgiveness offered freely doesn't just release someone from guilt; it liberates both giver and receiver from the prison of resentment.

This is the great secret our consumer culture obscures. The treasures that last forever can't be bought, they can only be given away.

When we invest in people rather than possessions, we're storing up wealth in the only bank that never fails. The kindness you show today becomes someone's strength tomorrow. The compassion you extend becomes another person's template for how to treat those they encounter. Your generosity doesn't just help someone, it teaches them what's possible in a world that often feels cold and transactional.

We arrive in this world empty-handed, and we'll leave the same way. Everything between is borrowed time in borrowed bodies surrounded by borrowed things.

But the love we give, the hope we inspire, the healing we facilitate, these transcend the temporary nature of existence.

So perhaps the question isn't "What do I want to own?" but rather "What do I want to leave behind?" Because in the end, the only treasures that last forever are the ones we give away. And unlike everything we buy, these treasures actually multiply in the giving.

The most valuable investment you'll ever make can't be found in any store. It's waiting in the lives of people who need what only you can give.

Carmela Pollock is based in Mornington, Victoria, where she operates a successful private practice offering dynamic, holistic services, including individual counselling and group workshops. She brings heart energy to every service, assisting clients in discovering their blueprint by guiding them to explore their inner world, dismantle unhelpful patterns, and build a new, values-based foundation. She inspires clients to reach higher and find their own self-inspiration, supporting them until they confidently walk their own journey alone. To learn more about Carmela's services, please visit her website.