Enough

"Enough is abundance to the wise." Euripides knew a thing or two about true abundance. The ability to say, "I have enough."  After sixteen years of living in the same house it's amazing how much "stuff" you can accumulate. Over the years I have made a concerted effort to purge. Yet, when I thought about facing the guest bedroom yesterday morning, I knew I would have my hands full. This room has served the dual purpose of bedroom and storage facility. Yesterday I said, "Enough is enough!" After several hours of work I left feeling pretty good about things. Most of the dresser drawers are now empty and the closet purged. All I need to do is make a quick trip to donate the rest. I'm feeling good about  reclaiming this room as a guest room and I'm happy to say "Enough!"

Thrift

Thrift. When we think of thrift we most often think of our finances. Being thrifty allows us to save and spend money wisely. What about our time? Is it possible to be thrifty with our time?  Just as we budget our money and account for each dollar, can we do the same with our time? Or is it unaccounted for and frittered away? I know I am quite guilty of wasting time, as if it really isn't that important. But, just like money, time is a limited resource. Once it is gone, it's gone. And although, I might think I'll always have tomorrow, eventually it will run out. Perhaps I need to start being more thrifty with the time I am given? After all, according to Greek philosopher, Theophrastus, "Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend."

Play

Play. George Bernard Shaw said, "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." Don't forget to make a little time in your day for play.

Voice

Voice. Albert Einstein said, "Be a voice, not an echo." These are very powerful words. How often do we live our life echoing the culture around us?  How often do we ask ourselves what do we really believe? What do we really want?  How often do we silence our voice for fear of being misunderstood? It takes courage to live that voice and not just echo someone else. I've always admired the unconventional. What allows them to be so original? How do they break away from the tried and true? Austin Kleon's writes in his book, Show Your Work, "Talk about the things you love. Your voice will follow." We all have our own unique voice and it should be heard. 

The Penny

The penny. The poor penny; the least respected of the coins. Yet, Benjamin Franklin thought enough about the penny to coin the phrase, "A penny saved is a penny earned." But ironically we don't even bend down to pick up a penny anymore. Think of all the wasted luck?  The fascinating thing about pennies though, is that if you were to start with one penny and double that amount each day for thirty days you would end up with more than five million dollars. So what lesson does the penny teach? It teaches us that although it is small and on its own doesn't have much value; treasured and saved it can bring wealth. This is because those who are careful with "small things" probably will be careful with even greater things. I can't help but conclude with another phrase honoring the penny, "A penny for your thoughts?"

Travel Sizes

Travel sizes. I noticed the other day that I had quite a few travel sizes of Clinique moisturizers. You know the ones that come with the bonus.  It dawned on me though, that there is no way I'd be able to use them all because I really don't travel that much. Now I suppose one way to fix this would be to travel more. However, one big vacation a year and several weekend trips are  enough travel for me. So this got me to thinking about how often we don't use the things we have, putting them off for special occasions.  I'm sure the moisturizer must have an expiration date.  Don't we all?  Why leave  that wedding china in the hutch, and the softer towels only for guests?  Isn't it better to enjoy the things we own now, rather than putting them off  until tomorrow?  I can't help but think so?

Your Story

"Write your own story." Simple but powerful words. They are not mine, rather they are from a pretty remarkable young man named Kelan. Each of us is given, but one life, and it is ours to write. What would that story look like if you sat down and wrote it? Would it look like the life you are living today?  What changes might you need to make? When we are young we look toward our future with anticipation. We see ourselves accomplishing great things. As the years go by it is easy to get caught up by all the responsibilities of life. Sometimes our lives don't really feel like our own anymore. I can't help but take these words to heart and ask myself, "Am I writing my own story?"  Thanks Kelan for the inspiration.