Thursday, March 5, 2009

The Simple Life

I've been directly affected by the recession.....yep me.
I honestly didn't think it would affect Kristen's & my life all that much. Sure my work has given us a salary freeze, yeah there's a hiring freeze and our dept is under-staffed. But yesterday I received news that meant it hit us directly....Kristen's work week has been cut from 5 days to 4 days. It's a step his employer is taking not because they "have to" but because they're trying to be proactive in such a rocky time.
However, I'm not upset. I'm okay with this, I really am. Financially we're okay, and we can handle this paycut.
But mostly I've been wanting to live a simpler life, something I've talked about here, to my friends, and MOSTLY to Kristen for at least a year or more now.
I feel this is a blessing in disguise, this is our chance to cut back, get our butts in gear, because we HAVE too, no more excuses. I don't want a material life where everything depends on upgrading, needing something new, etc.
Don't get me wrong I get caught up in things...I love buying new clothes, new shoes, new purses, LOVE the idea of buying new camera gear, a new Mac, etc. But I don't want to be like this, in most cases I don't NEED these things and truthfully ends up being a waste of money. That's not the life I want.
Ideally a life where we grow our own vegetables, find joy in the simple things, such as family game night, going for a walk, just spending time with friends. I keep thinking about how spring is just around the corner and bbq season along with it. Nothing more enjoyable than a bbq with friends, sipping cool drinks on our deck in the backyard. Now THAT is the life....
This leads to a few things I read on Oprah's website this week (since I'm at work when her show airs) about this topic EXACTLY! Cutting back, living a simpler life....check them out:
Today's Quote
"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things" - Robert Brault

1 comment:

Myrna Hynes said...

I love the quote of the day - it's one of my favs.