On Discontentment and Money

"They who are of the opinion that Money will do everything, may very well be suspected to do everything for Money." - George Savile


I got this quote in an email today. It stirred something that was not at rest in my soul. It seems to me that the culture I live in is one of routine and consistency, but also one that somehow misses the mark in more ways than one. We go to school, to college, get a job, and work until we are well into our 60's. Then we suddenly decide to really live...."let's travel, let's visit friends and family, let's do all the things we have dreamed of doing for so long!"


But what about the days we have lost to work? And what about our aging bodies? The rise of autoimmune dis-ease is skyrocketing. All the more to say that we are definitely not guaranteed to have tomorrow. My uncle had just retired. He and my aunt were looking forward to traveling and time with family. He passed away this past summer, before he got to do any of it. He was a trucker, so he was gone more often than most spouses and fathers are. I know his times with his family were precious...


Is money the sole basis on which we live our lives? We trade 5 precious days out of our week, leaving two to really live. This does not feel right!


Is it possible to live on less so that we can work less? Is it possible to flee from the busy-ness of our lives? I removed myself from Facebook last April. I did not realize the effect that would have on me. Yes there have been many times when I have felt out of the loop, but then I realized how much less busy my mind is, how much less busy I am as a whole, and how much more I enjoy my children, my close friends (the ones who I actually see and spend time with face to face and who care about me in very real ways), and my family. I have reopened my account, but my husband (who also disabled his) and I agree that we do not miss it, and it is a bit of a nuisance. Our desire, or addiction if you will, to being connected online, is no longer there.


I have been discovering that it is the little things that make all the difference in the world to how content I am, how happy I am, where my Joy comes from. It doesn't come from the things that I had originally thought, but from the simplicity of how I live each day. 


Why wait until you are in your 60's to really live? Why not today? 


My husband and I are figuring out, a little late maybe, how to live on less. Over the last year, I have donated many of our unused items, thrown away the broken, useless clutter, and downsized our families "collections" of toys, trinkets, and outgrown clothing. There is much less going on in my brain, and much more gratification inside me. My house is much easier to maintain because of the lack of stuff, which gives me much more time to focus on the people in my house rather than the stuff in my house. I have much less desire to go out and spend money on things that do not last or become quickly obsolete. I have been able to take much pressure off of my husband to provide financially.


It is my desire to begin to live on less, so that I can be with my husband more. Someday, we will get him down to working 4 days a week, maybe even 3, so to maximize the time we have for each other and for our children. 


Children grow up quickly. My days of having infants are long gone. Someday soon, they will be teenagers and then they will go and live on their own. For now though, I have them with me. It isn't for a long time but I can choose to love each moment I have with them, and live so that both my husband and I can enjoy them, and each other for as long as the Lord wills. 


One of my high school acquaintances decided to take the 100 possessions challenge. Basically, you decide that you can only own 100 things. I was really thinking about the possibility of my family accepting this challenge. That would mean that each person could only have 100 things, for a total inventory in my house of 600 items. And if we desire to have new items, we would have to pass on something we already have. What would this look like? What joy would we gain from the simplicity of it all? 


Is it possible to break the cultural bonds and patterns that we have been raised in? Is it possible to really live today? Is it possible to have small dreams that can be planned, executed, and achieved each day? I believe it is, but not without prayer and discipline, and a little bit of determination.