Want and Waste

In the world of brand-new-baby I've been finding that it's too easy to get caught up in all the trinkets of child-dom- cute outfits, useful gear, and all the other items for a rapidly growing babe. It's all so fun and wonderful, but when you combine that with a new home to be decor-ified, and a non pregnant body that can fit into normal clothes again, it can become far too consuming.

A sort of revelation came to me as I was in turmoil over a very important decision. Baby ear piercing. I've always been a fan and had been planning on doing it, but as I stood in the store looking at the $50 pair she would need, I just couldn't do it. Max and I have been working diligently on our budget so we can take some trips this year and I've been evaluating the things I tend to splurge on. Maybe $50 isn't a splurge for you, but I didn't feel great about it. Plus, Hanley really is cute enough without them [wink].

So with this, and a weekend in Seattle at fun stores and yummy restaurants I've had a lot of thought content on the matter of contentment and want. And my conclusion is this: wanting makes waste. The more I allow myself to "want", the more time and energy I am wasting. Not in all situations, but for me lately I'm finding that if I can narrow all the "wants" to the bare minimum, and then shut it all off, I'm a lot happier. I get the things I really want and appreciate even the little $5 trinket because I thought about it and made the conscious decision that it was worth it.

So there it is. My thoughts on budgeting and spending. Real revolutionary [wink again]. It sounds so simple, but it's really transforming my life. De-cluttering the heart and mind from the abundance of wanting stuff is so freeing. Thankfulness is a powerful thing.

And now for some Seattle pictures-

[heart]

C.Johnt