Memories are the true net worth and asset value of life. Structures may be torn down and the materials recycled, buried, burned or otherwise destroyed. The memories that were made in those structures are recycled for years to come. Sometimes they are recycled in the mind, sometimes on the written page, sometime in song, photos or poem.
The two houses that made up the most of my childhood have long been destroyed. Both are now nothing more than asphalt for a parking lot. But in my mind, numerous times per day those structures exist and I live over and over so many things that took place in and around them.
The beaches on the gulf coast of central Florida are now inundated with condominiums and high-rise hotels. The only original things left to this day are the smell of the ocean and the sound of the surf that goes on and on and on.
I remember honeymoon motels that once were top of the line that are now condos. The memories of those newly weds still linger, though perhaps never spoken outside of the union of marriage. Residences once rented out to families for a week, or month to enjoy the surf in the summer are now just memories of those who stayed there. The memories of activities that took place in and outside of those places still linger in the mind decades after the experiences and the demolitions.
And so it goes, the structures can be destroyed but the memories of those who lived in and experienced life in those structures live on. Sometimes we need to stop and remember. What are the true assets and net-worth? Is it the structure or in the memories that are everlasting?
Art Jackson "I remember..." 