My new toy (and why you need unnecessary stuff in your life)

I recently purchased this beautiful tenor saxophone. It is, by far, the nicest horn I've ever owned.

To be specific, it's a Cannonball Big Bell Stone Series T5. It comes with a whole bunch of unnecessaries: two necks, 16 semi-precious inlaid stones, and a lot of beautiful engraving.

My favorite part? It honks. And I mean that in the best way possible. I love the big tone this thing produces (particularly when you use the "fat neck"). I'm having a ball learning its little nuances.

I will occasionally play this saxophone in church, but for the most part, I play it because I love playing it. It doesn't matter if anyone else hears.

They say that boys love their toys, but the girls I know love them just as much. Those "toys" vary from person to person. They can be cool crafting supplies, vintage cars, sound equipment, books, fishing lures, rare coins, whatever. The point is, they bring joy.

They may have no seemingly "useful" function, but they bring joy.

If you have no use for joy, I'm not sure what to tell you. Your toys are just as important as the tools you use on the job. Even if they never earn you a single dollar, they nourish that part of you that can only be fed by intangibles.

So don't feel bad if a good chunk of your discretionary income goes toward something (or a lot of somethings) for which you have absolutely no practical need.

There's a part of you that's better off for having it.