An Early Morning Stroll

I overheard my eldest and his Dad talking last night about (planning to buy another) NERF gun (and mind you, it’s not cheap!). I immediately went to my son’s room and blatantly told them that I won’t be allowing it.

Yes, I know it’s hard to be a disciplinarian (especially for people who hates to be disciplined, I am referring to myself) and after seeing him teary-eyed, I felt like I’m the meanest mom in the world. Theodore’s not the type of kid who asks for things we couldn’t afford to buy him. Asking his Dad to buy him a new toy is reasonable enough for him (and for hubby as well). But, he already has FIVE NERF guns to date!

PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH

It would be very hard to reprimand him if I had been attached to material things. And to a certain extent, I’m grateful because he understands what I’ve been blabbering about.

REWIND

When I was still living with my parents, and because they could afford to buy me things, I depended on shopping splurges to make me happy (even up to the time I was still working). It’s a never ending cycle and eventually, I got tired of it. There’s no thrill anymore, and even after shopping for clothes and shoes, it made me (more) sadder and I feel (more) shallow and empty. It made me reevaluate my priorities in life.

FAST FORWARD

It changed of course when I became a full time mommy and lived in our own house. Because we have our priorities, we slashed off things we don’t “exactly” need. Like the leisurely trips, signature clothing and gadgets.

FIND THE BALANCE

I would be full of mockery if I say that I don’t need material possessions to make me happy. I believe it’s more like “knowing your priorities”. I’m not a techie type of person. Our desktop is just a year (or two) younger than my eldest. It’s an old beaten up desktop that my Mom gave me so I won’t have to buy a new one. It works just as fine and enough to make us enjoy unlimited internet connection at home. We don’t have cable TV so I guess having an internet connection is justifiable. And in exchange to that, we buy a lot of DVDs so we could improvise our very own HBO channel. And for heaven’s sake, my mobile phone has a built-in flashlight! But I love it because it’s very handy especially when searching for the keyhole of our front door when it’s dark already.

I still enjoy our occasional food trips, but not from over the top restaurants. I used to hoard cosmetics, I still do (sometimes)—but I just buy what’s needed and I make sure I’m buying from companies with a cause (for its people and the environment).  

There has been a religious structure that in order to follow a spiritual path, one should no longer need material or earthly possessions in life. On the contrary, if a person is connected to the spiritual self, there is AWARENESS that you don’t specifically need those things. This is such a cliche, but what the heck, I’ll still say it anyway! :P

Happiness comes from spiritual wealth, not material wealth. 

It is important to learn not to be too strict on oneself (or others). You just need to do everything in moderation. Oh my, this seriousness is killing me!

Keyword: BALANCE

“If you tighten the string too much, it will snap,

 and if you leave it too slack, it won’t play.” (a Buddhist philosophy)

Cezanne and Dad having an early morning stroll :)