What Are We Saving For?

I read this article today on Daily Om and it really hit home. The person they descibed is ME. I am always saving things, rather than indulging myself and enjoying the things I own. For instance, my husband will buy me fancy chocolates and rather than just eating them and enjoying them, I have to savor them and only allow myself one every once in a blue moon. Well, it never fails, they either go stale or get eaten by my husband (or accidentally by the dog) before I ever get to enjoy them. So why do I insist on sacraficing and saving for a rainy day? The article below helped me realize that I need to stop this nonsense. Maybe it will help you too.

We all know someone who keeps plastic covers on his or her couch in order to protect it. The irony is that many of these people may live their lives without ever having actually made contact with their own furniture! This is a poignant and somewhat humorous example of the human tendency to try to save things for special occasions, as if everyday life weren’t special enough to warrant the use of nice things. Many of us have had the experience of never wearing a particular piece of clothing in order to keep it nice, only to have it go out of style in the meanwhile.

It’s interesting to think of what it would mean to us if we let ourselves wear our nicest clothes and eat off the good china on a daily basis. We might be sending ourselves the message that every day we are alive is a special day and a cause for celebration, and that we are worth it. There is something uplifting about treating ourselves to the finest of what we have. It is as if we rise to the occasion when we wear our best clothes and set the table beautifully, as if for a very special guest. We are more mindful of where we place things, what we are eating, and who is with us. Using the good china, eating in the dining room, and taking the plastic off the sofa might be an invitation to be more conscious of the beauty and grace inherent in our everyday lives.

If there are things you’ve stashed away for a special occasion—a bottle of special wine, a gorgeous pair of shoes, an antique lace tablecloth—consider taking them out of their hiding places and putting them to use tonight, just because you are alive now to enjoy them, and that’s a great cause for a celebration.