Money has bamboozled me
for a long time now.
If there was something I didn't have ~
I didn't have what others had ~ whether I wanted it or not was beside the point.
Money does engender some pretty nasty feelings!
When I don't have what I think is enough ~
shame, guilt, anger, worry ~ what else ~
oh yes, fear! I've heard a lot of horror stories about not having...........
I really don't like any of those feelings or the horror stories.
When I do have what I think is enough ~
(well, at one time, I would have said I've never had 'enough')
but just for the sake of argument ~
I can feel awfully smug, self satisfied,
maybe even a little greedy ~ wanting to hold on to more.
When I started thinking of money as merely a tool,
feelings shifted alongside attitude.
(banks and other financial institutions become pretty fancy tool sheds!)
And so I am grateful that I have my bills paid and a bit set aside.
Using my 'tools', I create a world around me that pleases me.
Will I ever have a wheel barrel full of money to tote into the tool shed? Very likely not.
Have I worried that I'd be a bag lady someday because I wasn't
an astute money merchant or
because I hadn't worked hard enough?
Sure have.
When I make my own lunch for work,
I hear a little 'chi-ching' in my head,
mentally figuring how much I didn't spend at the deli
so I can have a latte later.
Our lives are full of convenience ~ a nice quality ~
it is convenient to go to the store.
Convenience is part of the price for anything I buy.
Things like medication, shoes, gas for my car
and activities outside of home
that keep spirit and soul together,
are things I cannot create for myself.
The money tool is essential for these things.
And once more I am grateful.
Taking my eyes, but not my attention,
off of the fear of not enough,
I have been able to see that I have a
home, clothes, food, health...
and there's not enough room here to finish the list.
I have what I can develop within my own resourcefulness.
It is always enough in each moment ~
good feelings ~ satisfaction, self sufficiency, and yes.... gratitude.
“Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only
empty heads and empty hearts can do that.”
- Norman Vincent Peale