I spent Saturday afternoon in the company of a great friend and her adorable daughter. We joined some other friends for a cheese-tasting event, then lunch, then we strolled around some local stores. We had a great time.
Ever since breaking my arm in August, I have done ZERO non-essential shopping. If you doubt it, ask “what did kym get me for the holidays this year?” You know I didn’t get you a damned thing.
Because of that medical bill, I have not had the luxury to spend a single, solitary minute of a single, solitary day “shopping” for anything other than absolute necessities, and when I find that item, I buy it then leave the store.
Until Saturday. Saturday we strolled around some local shops, and guess what I found at the local Hastings (for my non-local friends, Hastings is like Borders, but without a “gay books” section and in its place there is a “Mormon books” section). The local Hastings recently moved and I had NEVER been in the merchandise section to see how it had grown. DAMN it has grown.
In the merchandise forest I found a really cool pair of slip on shoes with big, glorious peace signs on them. As many of you know, I have an infatuation with peace signage, so I HAD to get those shoes. Then I found this freaky, weird, cool cookie / pancake / egg mold that was in the shape of a handgun and I just HAD to have that too (suprise dugski for breakfast one day). Then, of course, I found item after item that would be “the perfect gift” for this friend, that friend, etc. By the time I was done shopping, I had collected an armful of merchandise.
It is SCARY to me, just how quickly my mind went from “I am a happy girl to be enjoying this day with friends” to “I am incomplete without X item”. When I stepped away from my own ego and observed the quiet, but effective, flirtation with consumerism, I was astonished. (Does the word “consumer” send shiver down anybody else’s spine?)
I needed that stuff, though, you see and I could justify it all.
I went home empty-handed. And here is the key. My life is none-the-less worthwhile for it, but you know, it COULD be, if I chose to let it. I’d focus on what’s “missing” rather on what’s here, now.
One thing the broken arm experience has taught me is - treat your friends like they matter and they will return the favor (in my case this happened tenfold). Another thing I’ve learned is - if you’re not going to starve or freeze without it, you probably don’t “need” it, you just really want it and are busy seeking out ways to justify it. That’s fine, just be mindful about it (and then you’ll see how often you will change your mind about needing something).
I’ve never been big on consumerism (I could be abducted by aliens and Wall Street would never miss me), but I AM in a “me” culture and therefore I do have the propensity toward, “I need”. Putting those needs to the test is an exercise in mindfulness for most of us. Try it sometime, you will be stunned at your own consumer mentality.
I had fun Saturday, and I did cave in and buy some of the most glorious gourmet cheese ever made. The cheese-gods are my heroes. And I plan to share the bounty with friends. Who wants to stop by later for a bite, before it’s all gone? Just let me know.
Tags: Consumerism, Hastings/Borders
