Verbal Assault

The summer is rapidly coming to an end. I wait every year for the (hopefully) 2 months of sun. This summer was the first time we have had the kids home full time in 3 years. Is it bad that I can't wait for school to start again?!? My kids are awesome (most of the time) but they need a break from each other, and us too. The school supplies are bought, new clothes washed and ready to wear. I've even bought my new back to school supplies!

This past month's focus in my Happiness Project was to buy some happiness. Buy needful things. Indulge in a modest splurge. Spend out on the things you have been holding off on. Gretchen Rubin, the author of The Happiness Project said she would use razors until they were extremely dull, toothbrushes till they were yellowed and frayed, save fancy stationary for something special. I love that she writes, "As part of my happiness project I wanted to stop hoarding, to trust in abundance, so that I could use things up, give things away, throw things out. Not only that- I wanted to stop worrying so much about keeping score and profit and loss. I wanted to spend out." For me, the phrase, to trust in abundance, really struck a chord with me.

If you have ever had to watch your pennies, it's hard to let go of the memory. My grandparents were raised by poor immigrant parents. They learned at a very early age to make a dollar stretch and in turn, those lessons were passed to my mom. My mom has worked hard and saved her whole life, which is a good thing, but when I was little, she rarely spent money on herself. About 10 years ago, my mom had asked me to help her organize her garage. She is really bad at letting items go, "Just in case she might need it one day". We were just getting on a roll, tossing the broken containers, getting rid of the stuff she just could not justify keeping, when I went to toss the lid to a large, shallow container we had just put tall bottles of cleaning supplies in. The lid could not possibly fit onto the container anymore. We bickered back and forth about the fate of the container's lid and eventually I was verbally assaulted about how I just throw money away. You have to picture my mother. She is a tiny woman, very gentle, rarely swears and never has a bad thing to say about anyone (unless they really deserve it!). She was so stressed out about the thought of throwing something away that wasn't broken horrified her and she would do anything to make it not happen. What I was trying to do back then, in a way, was to help my mom spend out. If she really needed another container exactly that shape one day, she could go get another one.

I have been holding off on some major "to-dos" for awhile, waiting till it was absolutely necessary. So this month, with my goals in mind, I purchased a laptop that I desperately needed for my back to school. My septic tank is getting pumped this morning. I replaced my broken cordless phone (with a cheap model, but hey! It works). Some of the things have been on the "Tackle the Nagging Task List" for years and boy does it feel good to cross them off!

I was just rereading last month's post and realized I had written about two resolutions for the month. Whoops! A bit of a mix up. I had originally started off with "Make time for friends" for August's agenda, but there were some things I desperately needed to spend out on sooner rather than later. So I switched them up but obviously didn't proofread my post before I published it (and probably confused most of you). So having said that, next month's goal will be to "Make time for friends": Remember birthdays. Be Generous. Show up. Don't gossip. Make three new friends. School for me starts in just 17 days and I'm excited about the idea of welcoming new friends into my life, as well as the challenge of making time for my pals when life if sure to become a crazy zoo. In a good way of course. ;) I am fortunate I have so many wonderful friends in my life and whether I see them often, or even just twice a year, I'm making a point to let each and everyone of them know how much they mean to me. Just knowing I have so many wonderful people to turn to if I need some help, or to share in my joys and achievements means everything to me. Xoxo.

Buy Some Happiness!

I'm half way through my happiness project... It's unbelievable actually. I am constantly amazed at how fast time is moving and I have a feeling life is about figuring out how to move faster (or you get left behind). This month's resolutions in my project are about making time for friends, which is actually a hard task to do in the last few weeks of summer. Everyone seems to be cramming in last minute holidays or trips to the beach with their kids and I am no exception. And because this is the halfway mark, I feel the need to reflect on my entire happiness project as a whole.

Every month, as I begin the next part of the happiness project, I reread the chapter of Gretchen Rubin's Happiness Project. Throughout the book, she talks about the importance of her "Resolutions Chart" and  how it kept her accountable to her resolutions. I originally had a chart made up of my resolutions but never followed through. I can totally see why they are so important though, and this month I am going to make a chart so I don't lose sight of my goals. Like my vision board, the chart is a way to keep myself on track. When I think back over all I have achieved in the last 6 months, I'm really proud of myself. Some things have been easier to achieve than other, some goals have pushed me harder than I thought I would (or could) go. I've had some amazing surprises along the way, but all in all, it has helped me get a clearer picture of what is important to me and even more importantly, the things that I thought were important and actually are not. One of the other things that was unexpected, was the "God winks" (as one client referred to them) that have happened along the way. You know... the little things that let you know you are on the right path, or to give you a little boost when you need it most. Most recently, I had applied for a grant for going back to school, thinking that even a little bit to help with textbooks would be great. I received a letter a few days ago and my course is paid for, plus a bit extra that will pay for my textbook and a bit towards my new laptop I bought for back to school. It is an amazing feeling when you know you are on the right path.

So... This month's resolutions are to "Buy Some Happiness: Money". Indulge in a modest splurge. Buy needful things. Spend out. Give something up. Sounds easy! Ha! I've said that before. ;)