The whole of western society is driven by the need for you and me to keep on buying things, to keep the economy going. As most of us now have our basic needs already met, the advertising industry must convince us that we have needs still unmet and therefore must keep on buying things! Clive Hamilton's book "Affluenza" blows the whistle on how this all works. We are convinced by advertising that we are unhappy in some way and that buying some fancy new thing will make us feel better. Of course it can't do that in any long term way or we would stop buying anything else, so the advertisers have to make us unhappy again and so it goes.
In this society being grateful is the opposite-being able to celebrate what we already have-and cultivating an attitude of 'enough' is radical!
There is a very helpful post over at Notes from the Frugal Trenches which talks about this in a very helpful way.
I started today at 3am wide awake and full of negative thoughts. I am not sure why, but I was just going round and round with one bad memory after another. When I got up and spoke to my DH he said 'you know, negativity is a choice" and of course he is right. I can tell myself negative stuff or concentrate on the positive and be happy.
So I went for a walk on the beach and made a point of being grateful -for the beach which is so close to us, for the fact that I am on long service leave and can just make up my mind on the spot to walk when I need to. For my health, for my home, for my family. When you start 'counting your blessings' the list can be quite long. Physical activity always lifts my spirits too and I have been neglecting that recently. The sun shone for a while and the wind blew my cobwebs away.
I have decided that I am also going to pamper myself with a fabulous lunch -lots of green leaves from my garden and mushrooms from the mushroom box's first crop and olives and fetta and crusty bread. All this just here at home -waiting for me to make a little bit of effort. I will finish lunch with a cup of tea brewed in a pretty tea pot and served in a pretty floral cup -and with piece of cherry cake on the side!
Thank you to those who took the time to make a comment or two here recently -it is great to hear from you .
2 comments:
you have been busy, sorry i havent been in for a vist in a while just not enough time in the day.
how i wish i got holidays, i could really do with a few days just to sit & smell the flowers.
Our NEED to buy more 'stuff' is crazy isn't it? I am getting the Affluenza book from our library- thanks for the reminder.
I love your dainty cup & saucer! (though I noticed the cherry cake was gone.....!)
Post a Comment