In 2008, I gifted my brother my beloved Magnapan speakers (the Maggies.) These speakers were my first adult purchase after I moved out on my own in 1979. They accompanied me as I relocated over ten times. They were shipped to the Magnapan Company twice to be re-built. As a bit of an audiophile AND music dork, my hi-fi provided me with the rhythms, chords and lyrics that guided me through the nuances of my life dance.

This exchange occurred between my brother and I, after I found the below writing posted on his website. It seems to exemplify the idea of creating an environment of meaning and positivity as a means of balancing out the barrage of negativity we experience daily from the media (and at times from our own mindJ.) I have forever recognized the personal value in creating a meaningful space, not full of things, but full of memories, love and possibility. I view home and work space as sacred. It is a way to honor my fondest memories and prioritize my inner peace and well being.

My brother’s perspective, 2008

I was traveling with my sister, as she moved again.

We talked of the smiles of youth, not the displeasure of our adult lives or with each other.

See …she likes things, and as a counselor of all those with nothing and everything,

I smiled. I tried my, “But when you die what will you remember… your things?”

I think she will remember her first love, her asshole brothers, her parents.

Not the latest sale at the pottery barn

But I stopped..it is her life, I wish for her only the best

If it means things, I love her no less. Specially since I got the magnepans I had been jealous of for years.

My response and quite different perspective on the same issue, 2008

Things hold no inherent value for me. It is the meaning and memories we attach to these objects that bring peace, beauty and inspiration.

Let me tell you what I contemplate, not when I die, but while I am so very alive to enjoy, appreciate and marvel.

I draw strength and inspiration from the people I work with, their courage, frustration and unyielding spirit, in the face of adversity, often too horrific to ponder. They are honored in the red, yellow and orange color I paint my home, my unwavering hope that they find joy and happiness.

I live in wonder of the magnificence of nature, the simplicity of golden round bales in a green field, the depth and magnitude of the stars at night, the soothing comfort of water flowing over stones. I feel fortunate to always be in the presence of these images in paintings and sculpture, from creative, talented artisans.

In my finest most pure memory lives our beatific, nurturing grandmother, who never had the heart to discipline us (even when we really deserved it). Her softness and comfort are always present in my velvet sofa, a soft, cozy place to land when the world and its hurt seem too overwhelming to bear.

I continue to re-discover myself in the soul stirring memories and rhythms of music; singing along with Supertramp and Alan Parsons Project with my brothers, riding home on my ten-speed after listening to Cat Stevens with Tom, dancing all night to Donna the Buffalo with friends. My hi-fi keeps these and many other musical images close to my heart. My gift to you, my dear brother, is that you find meaning, hope and perspective in the Maggie’s. If you take the time to truly consider, they are so much more than things.

The Maggies, Meaning and Positivity