Money is everywhere right now.
In my job,
I raise financial support and teach students to be generous in tithing.
In my personal life,
a lunch meeting with our banker.
In my imaginary life,
I galavant with the heroine of my book as she recklessly spends money
and faces the tragic consequences.
I'm currently reading "The House of Mirth" by Edith Wharton.
(Thank you Paige.)
It's exactly what I need.
Rumination on wealth, a blatant disregard for reality, and release into gluttony.
Also, the constant reminder of consequences.
All of this money in my life is increasing my greed.
And at once making me fearful of greed's hold on my heart.
Although I'm pouting about it to myself, I'm so glad for the vow I took to only buy clothing second-hand through this year. It comes down to two things for me:
1. Reverence for those who made my clothes. Their cheap labor is what convinces us it's perfectly reasonable for a shirt to cost 5 dollars. Crazy. Why have I come to expect the entitlement to such cheap clothing? Because I can. At all costs, even that of life, I can expect cheap clothing. Cheap is one thing, but reverence for the cost is another.
2. Wasted resources. I'm amazed at the thought of all the resources my closet taxes the earth, when I buy all new things.
I believe in these things, I do.
But I need to keep repeating them to myself under my breath ... reverence and resources, reverence and resources.
*Update: isn't is bizarre that we own so much stuff that we have to keep a record of it with some insurance broker, in order to keep all of our material things protected? Something just feels weird about paying someone to protect my purchases.
I'm so glad you're enjoying the book!!! It's definitely one of my favorites
ReplyDeleteThe Mister just put us on a pretty serious budget, for reasons both financial and moral. I can relate to this post...
ReplyDeleteAlso, I initiated the SAHM series because, having spent half of my childhood in daycare (while my father was married to my alcoholic mother) and the other half with a SAH step mom, I have learned, first hand, the importance of a parent being home for a child. My constant presence is something that I want to give to my future children. And, of course, as a smart woman with a successful career, I face criticism for this decision. The series is a way to illuminate the important reasons women choose to stay home.
I started the same thing at the beginning of last year (only buying second hand/ethical clothing) and I would never go back. Even though it's a small thing, I do feel like I'm making a difference.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to see that others are doing this too :)
Tyler! How wonderful for you to stop by my blog! :) Thank you for leaving you reactions - as you know, comments are a wonderful piece for us bloggers to grow!
ReplyDeleteYou write beautifully, and I love what you said about our obsession with cheap material things. I spent an entire semester studying globalization and how it affects cultures (I was an Anthropology major - what WHAT). To this day, I try to buy environmentally and ethically produced clothes... but being a very poor grad student, I usually take the middle road and am a champion thrift store shopper. ;)
What was I saying?
Keep doing your thing, girl - I'll be reading! :)
PS. I see you have a connection with Carly Anne - isn't she splendid?!
Celia "Golightly"
www.glamericorps.blogspot.com