Admire or Acquire?

We can become obsessed with what we pay for items.  And when we focus on price, we can celebrate successful concessions, deals, finds and steals.  But ultimately, we are all seeking things we value at a price we feel is reasonable.

I love a great deal!  There have been countless great deals I've not taken advantage of.  Though the allure was great, I decided long ago that I was going to differentiate between the items I admired and those I acquired.

I love the things I have, and have the things I need, so I smile, knowing that I've admired more than acquired recently.

Goldilocks Approach to Stuff

There are countless opportunities to acquire stuff.  And, acquired stuff requires attention, whether it's actual use, display or storage.  Too much stuff is hard to manage.

The beginning of the year is a great time to assess what we have; what we want; and what we need.  Loving and using what we have brings joy and simplicity to our hectic lives.

Just like Goldilocks, we are happiest when we have enough.

4 Steps of Gift Giving

To encourage myself that I'm making progress in getting ready for Christmas, I've broken gift giving into a four step process:

• Inspiration
• Acquisition
• Preparation
• Celebration

Gift-giving is joyous when you have inspiration for an appropriate gift.  Sometimes even when we determine what we'd like to give, acquisition is impeded by availability.  When substitution is required, the process starts over.  Creativity or simplicity can mark the preparation phase as we wrap our acquisition.  And my favorite step is celebration.  Though it's not always possible, I love spending time with the recipient as she or he unwraps the gift. 

My Christmas list is in various phases of completion.  And since I've already had the joy of celebrating with a very special group of friends, I have those beautiful memories to add to special gifts I've received.