Thinking About Abundance

I don't have digital
I don't have diddle squat
It's not having what you want
It's wanting what you've got
Sheryl Crow

I have been thinking about abundance a LOT since the beginning of the new year.

My friend Janet's post on quieting the wants, which was all about how Janet reminds herself that she mostly already has what she needs, reminded me that I should give a little update.

Like Janet, I have been setting some financial goals, the greatest of which was being content with living on less (until I become a bestselling author!) given that my salary is about to be cut in half beginning in May. 

The happiness I have experienced in the past year as I have pursued my life-long dream of writing convinced me that this was the right path to pursue.  But to pursue it, at least for awhile, is going to require getting by with less.

Source

Lockstep with this need to adjust to a lower income was my own feeling that I was frankly tired of being an enthusiastic  consumer.  Happy events, stressful events, any event were often an excuse to "reward" myself with a "treat". 

What I've really wanted was a peaceful relationship with things, shopping and my money.

I am happy to say that things continue to go very well on this front.  We are more than living within our means. 

But in order to enjoy living with less, I had to look at this trimming of spending here and there as an investment in me, in my financial freedom, and my pursuit of dreams.

I have been practising a lot of gratitude about my life lately and have recently focused that gratitude on my money. 

Like Janet, rather than think I am on a "budget", I have focused instead on what a wonderful life I have, how there is always enough money to pay the bills, how everything is unfolding as it should.

I can say now that when I see lovely clothes on everyone's else's blogs I feel very happy for the person involved, but I no longer feel the need to think that I "need" that too.  And since I have a smaller budget for clothing, I have become incredibly selective about what I buy.  New purchases now have a feeling of special-ness that did not occur before.  How many of us have bought something in the past, hung it up and then thought "what next?"  That's not what I want for myself.  I want to love and celebrate EVERYTHING I bring into my life, from clothing to food to household items, whatever. 

The results has been amazing.  Being so selective so I can easily live within my budget has actually made me feel happier about what I have and far more thankful for everything. 

I have been feeling a lot of gratitude about my upcoming trip to Florida, since so much of it was financed by my dad.  We have decided that we are taking him with us, via his picture on a popsicle stick, so we can get him into a few shots as well.

Well that feeling of abundance about the trip and my feeling of joy has translated into more gifts.  The other day I was working on our spending budget while away for food and sundries.  I was feeling very pleased about it, since it was realistic; not over the top, nor miserly.  I actually said a little prayer of thanks, since it was snowing outside and I was looking forward to the trip south.  We haven't been south for 7 years.

I needed to call Disney to clarify one thing. 

Me being me, I started chatting with the fellow on the phone.  Remember: every part of our trip (save food) was already booked and paid for, so he was selling me nothing.  I just needed him to make a small change for me on the reservation, which he was happy to do.  We chatted away, about my excitement about the trip, about my dad's final gift, about all kinds of things.  At the end of our conversation he said "You know, I have a special pin I can apply to people's stays once or twice a day.  How would you like it if all of your meals for all 5 of you were included in your stay?

Like it?  I could have cried.  For 5 people, this was probably the equivalent of saving $800-$1000. 

A coincidence that my gratitude, my feeling of abundance created more abundance?  Perhaps. 

I told the fellow that I was chatting with that he and my father had been our angels for this trip and what a gift he had given us.  He asked me to put my pictures of "Bud at Disney" on the Disney World You Tube channel afterwards so he could see them, which I promised I would.

Since I have begun to look at my life as being full of abundance, seeing the glass half full, and given thanks for all that I have, I have not only been happier, but I seem to attract what I need when I need it.  And I am trying to do the same for others who reach out to me.

I read recently that if the only prayer you ever say in your life is "thank you", that is enough.  Since saying thank you doesn't have any religious connotations, I feel pretty safe in saying that here!

The thing of it is, there is always someone who has more.  And less.  I want to be the someone who is happy with what they have...

Don't have no master suite
But I'm still the king of me
You have a fancy ride, but baby
I'm the one who has the key

Sheryl Crow

So thank you Janet for reminding me to share this story and to continue on this path of being grateful and remembering that I am much more than my stuff, nice as it may be.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I will be sending happy thoughts your way, as well as thoughts of caring for those of you who I know are going through stuff in your life.

Stay safe out there!