Is Time Running Out?

           As we all know, time is more valuable than money, and you can always make more money but you can’t make more time. Time goes by whether you’re doing something productive or just sitting on your ass. It marches on if you’re listening to B.S. or being enlightened.

          Time can’t be bundled up and stored away in safekeeping for future use. It’s here now and then it’s gone. Today is today; it isn’t coming back.

Make the most of it

           The best way to honor the value of your time is to use it wisely. Today and every day is a gift to be experienced with joy and passion. Life as a whole is a gift to be lived with joy and passion. At bedtime, how often can you reflect upon the day and feel you have honored it? Or have you succumbed to hours of mindless TV watching, or gossiping, or being with negative or boring people?

           How much of your time is unfocused, unmotivated or unplanned? It might be a good idea to look at, on the average, how much time you spend online, planning meals, reading the news, missing or being late for appointments, commuting, gossiping, on the phone or arguing. How much time have you wasted being upset and angry? And for what? Being motivated and taking the time to plan much of your time will help you avoid many pitfalls of wasting time.

The “84-year-old woman claims massive Powerball jackpot” Headline Made me Think About Money

           I’ve got to talk about money. That’s what I thought when I read this article in the US News Report (6/5/13). But I don’t want to. After all, who am I to comment about money and spin off this article about an unlikely windfall for one senior woman in Florida; and talk about an issue that causes so much discomfort for so many people?

Don't bring it up unless you can do it justice.

           One of the stumbling blocks I encounter is thinking that everything I write has to be perfect and that if I don’t express it correctly I will have squandered an opportunity to comment on something important. Has that ever happened to you? Have you delayed speaking up about something important because of nameless fears?

           Money is such a taboo topic. While I can be pretty open talking about it with my close friends, I remember infuriating my first husband who came from a strict German background and never would permit even a casual conversation of what something cost amongst friends.

Can we afford NOT to talk about it?

           Money has a huge impact on senior citizens and on people considering retirement. What is the right formula in order for you to have sufficient funds to retire? Will there be enough to have an enjoyable life? Do we keep this topic to ourselves or do we share our ideas and information with others in order to make better decisions?

           I’m thrilled for Gloria MacKenzie, the elderly woman in Florida who, before taxes, has won the nearly $371-million. She waited two weeks to come forth with her winning ticket and didn’t share her exciting news with any of her neighbors, preferring instead to remain as far out of the limelight as possible. She did say, “I’m grateful for this blessing of winning.” Perhaps another reason this headline caught my eye was because I had just bought my Fantasy 5 ticket. I’m sure it’s a winner!

Me?

           My experience is its okay to talk about money if it’s to complain that there isn’t enough. It seems like people with money (how ever much that is) feel as though they are supposed to be coy and evasive and pretend like they’re just like all those other people who struggle from day to day to make their lives work with limited resources. But that’s just what I’ve experienced.

What about you?

          Are you comfortable talking about money? If you are okay discussing it, perhaps you will consider finishing this blog post for me….





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Check out:  How to be Wealthy

On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!

 

          It’s officially THE shopping season. I probably don’t need to tell YOU that. Heck, half of my friends have already finished their shopping for the holidays.

          I’ve always admired people who can shop for the holidays all year long. This is the bunch that is super organized with a well thought out list of recipients and gift ideas. They keep their list handy and use any outing, be it a trip to the grocery story or a vacation to Italy, as an opportunity to mark another item off their list. I’ve been with friends who’ve gasped, “Oh, goody, Safeway has 50 year old Scotch on sale. Now I can get that bottle I want to give to Uncle Luke!”

          I’m not a great shopper. I don’t enjoy the experience that much. I never even enjoyed it when I was younger and could afford and fit into tiny leather skirts or suede coats with tastefully appointed fake fur collars. At one point, I did leasing for a local shopping center and my entire days were spent in stores and around merchandise. You might think I’d be more inclined to shop if I was getting paid for my time while doing it, but I didn’t.

          Having shown my shopping skills are minimal, it might surprise you to learn that I’m a good internet shopper. I’ll match the purchasing power of my fingers with the best of ‘em! At the same time, I’m in good company when I say I’ve had some bad experiences from buying things from online stores, but these have been mainly apparel items. As long as it’s not clothes or shoes, I think buying from the internet is the only way to go.

          They predict paying sales tax for online merchandise will soon be upon us. Until then, I say rev up those search engine skills, research the best deal identifier through-sites and begin to reward those merchandisers who pay for shipping with little or no minimum purchases. There are lots out there. And there’s always e-bay and Craigslist; fun places to shop even if you have to modify some of the specifications you’re requiring.

          Even though I’m not an enthusiastic consumer of clothing, I have enjoyed purchasing household items:  dishes, linens, knick knacks, kitchen gadgets, plants, etc. In recent years, however, I’ve had a somewhat depressing awakening that many of you may have also experienced.

          Since retiring, I’ve noticed there’s nothing I need to buy. OMG, this has been the most discouraging aspect of getting older that no one told me to expect. Obviously, I don’t need work clothes or comfortable shoes for traipsing through my day. I don’t need cute containers to carry lunch items to the office, nor do I need any electronic items for keeping a complicated schedule or task list. Man, it just hasn’t been fun to realize I don’t need yet another set of silverware or placemats, or panties, or umbrellas.

          I was in hog heaven a couple of years ago when I got my cat Kali from the Humane Society, not only for the obvious pet-loving reasons but also because it meant I could go out and buy, buy, and buy:  food bowls, pet beds, mats, snacks, grooming tools and toys, lots and lots of toys. I even had to buy another basket just to hold all the snacks, tools and toys. It was fun, but short-lived.

          These days one of my favorite stores is the bookstore at the Center for Spiritual Living. This is the home of my spiritual community, which was founded by Ernest Holmes. It has lots of books – soothing books, instruction books, history books and books to give as gifts. It also has cultural items from other countries, jewelry and crafts made by talented Center members, and a ton of Gods and Goddesses, Buddha’s, essential oils, and tapes for mediation or relaxation. If I need a gift for a friend, I’m most likely to start at this store.

          I think the future of my shopping will be mostly for others, particularly kids and grand-kids. I’ll never have to worry about running out of things to buy for others. Also, doesn’t giving money count for something still? I think it can be pretty impersonal, but do you really want ME to guess what an 11-year-old boy might truly want? Here’s some money; buy exactly what you’d like and know that I give it to you with heartfelt love and a true desire to celebrate your birthday, graduation, Christmas, etc.

          Oh, and if you’re buying for me, well, like I said, I don’t need anything, so better make it experiential. Let’s have a dinner together, or go to a play, or a casino!

 

 

 

How to be Wealthy

I'll bet you're thinking I'm going to present some lengthy and detailed diatribe about a manner of garnering, investing and saving money. After all isn't money tantamount to society acknowledging our true wealth? And isn't wealth the 'true measure of a man'? If that's what you're thinking you might as well stop reading right now.

Money is only one measure of wealth. Sometimes people don't feel wealthy enough with our US currency but feel the need to buy currencies from other countries to round out their portfolios and stave off any economic shifts that threaten their well being. Don't get me wrong, dollars in whatever form: cash, stocks, IOUs, foreign currencies, etc., are good things, and I personally feel the more the merrier. BUT, I also believe you can be an extremely wealthy person without a lot of mullah.

I think my mother measured her wealth in terms of vodka and slippers as we found 6 gallons of vodka and 30 pairs of unworn slippers in her house when she passed away. And she wasn't even a hoarder... in the traditional sense anyway! If things like her stashes are what exhibits true wealth then it'll be mayonnaise for me....I've got several jars in the pantry and can get a little twitchy when I'm down to just one or two. And this spoken like the mostly vegan that I am. Ha! There are other things too: I have to admit I feel more satisfied when I've got 8-10 rolls of paper towels stockpiled. I can take on the world!

I love and collect paper, particularly expensive Asian paper. While I can scream and beat my chest and rant and rave when the bill for my car registration comes, I've got reams of paper that cost me a fortune and that I will probably never do anything with except look at. It's what you value that makes you feel wealthy, no?

Continuing the paper theme for me, I have lots of books - real paper books, not electronic versions, and they make me feel wealthy. I have an entire wall in my office lined with shelves filled with books. I have sold a ton of used books too, and the $3.50 I've gotten for 10+ boxes of books is real mad money for me. Obviously, I'm not talking dollars and cents kind of logic here.

Okay, I've covered the 'stuff' of wealth. Now let's look at a less tangible commodity.

In my opinion, the value of friendship is an excellent and altruistic way of measuring wealth and showing how to be wealthy. At parties where I'm being feted - yes, there have been a couple of those occasions - I look around and feel wealthy... I am thrilled by the wealth of having these people stand by me, and I envision that now infamous Academy award speech of Sally Field, "They like me. They really like me." Nothing exemplifies the bounty of a life, to me, more than the number and character of friends one can count on to be there for you. Granted, this group would be greatly reduced if I was having trouble and needed help moving, for instance, instead of providing food and drink. Seriously though, I've always felt friendly people are an unquantifiable measure of one's wealth.

Dollars and cents come and go; it's good to measure wealth in other ways. It's also a good thing to look at different options available around wealth so we don't feel so stuck in this crappy economy. I know how to be wealthy, and it doesn't involve saving or hoarding.

What is your true wealth? What makes you feel 'full' and able to stand strong in harsh economic and emotional times?