Wanting Less

Seems like a simple concept, but oh so hard to do. I was explaining to my husband the other day that I realized if I just started wanting less then I wouldn’t torture myself about all the things I don’t have. I wouldn’t be bothered by all the thoughts of when I get this, or when I get that, it will make me happy. To be honest, I’ve always been a little materialistic—I like things. Things for my house, things to wear, things for my kids; I like getting new stuff. Don’t we all? But at what point will it be enough to really satisfy me? That’s when I decided that that time will never come. I will never be completely satisfied with things. I’ll always want more; my paycheck will never be enough.

I look back to when my husband and I had our very first apartment---we had nothing. I’ll spare you the details of our shabbily furnished apartment, but trust me when I say we owned not one nice thing. So I compare that to now and how far we’ve come, but it still doesn’t lessen the urge of wanting so much more. New floors, new paint job, new bedroom furniture, a new car, a landscaping overhaul in the backyard….I could go on and on. But instead I’ll get to my point: If I wanted less, I could focus on what I have and be oh so grateful for it. I have been blessed a thousand times over in my life. Not only that, but I have blessings that some women will never receive—a supportive family, children of my own, a loving {albeit annoying} husband, the chance to finish my college education, a job I like, and the opportunity to start a meaningful career--but for some reason I choose to focus on the fact that I drive an old car, my kitchen doesn’t look like the ones in magazines, and my bedroom furniture is worn out.

So I guess my real question is can it be done? Is it possible to live in this country the way it is today, and not constantly worry about more and better while taking for granted what we already have?