A few months ago I stumbled across a quote by Epicurus (below) that I had never heard before and I just love it! We live in a world where we worry about the next day or deadline, think about the next holiday, plan for the next home we wish to own, save up for the next car we can't wait to drive but if we stop for a moment we will realize that much of what we currently have is what we once longed for. Sometimes it's so easy to get caught up in the bigger, better, faster, now kind of mentality. Like a child with a shiny new toy, sometimes we push aside the worn and familiar forgetting about its beauty and relevance in our lives as we give a new item all of our focus. If you've been reading this blog for a while, you may remember this post I wrote last year where I shared how I once struggled to love and truly appreciate our current, 50-yr old home and how I came around to actually enjoy it.
I am a big dreamer and I love vision boards as a tool to draw myself towards that of which I hope to achieve, experience or own but there is something so humble and grateful about appreciating what you have and reflecting back on what it took to obtain those things and asking yourself if the things you are lusting after are really a true need in your life or just a passing 'want'.
One of the first things that comes to mind is our car. Sure, I'd love to have the newer model of the car we currently own but I love her story, we sacrificed for her. In the summer of 2008 my hubby was hit by a drunk driver and it totalled our car (thankfully he was alright!) and as a result we had to replace the one and only car that we share. We drove rentals for months as we tried to not rush in and buy just anything. We fell in love with the Hyundai Sonata and focused on finding one in our area.
We finally decided upon one that was in mint condition, the color we wanted, had all the features we desired and was the right price. We worked hard to get her though. We scrimped and saved and made payments of nearly hubby's entire teaching paycheck per month plus a down payment to pay her off in just four months. It was an intensely stressful time but she became ours and we love not having a monthly payment. Anytime I see a shiny new ride on the street I remind myself of what we have. One day we'll have a second car when we need one and it will be something great but in the meantime we're just enjoying what we have.
What things had you once only hoped for at one time but are now enjoying?
*image, quote
