I know, I know. I said I would post every week, but do you know how hard that really is? Good writing takes a lot of time and a lot of work. I put both into what I post and I still find mistakes when I go back and read old posts. (I guess that is why professional writers pay people to edit their stuff.)
I just started a new job and it has taken a lot of my extra thinking space. My time has been limited because of going back to work, but also my motivation to put energy into writing a worthy post just hasn't been there. However, I will assure you my friends that almost daily I think about my commitment and I have been doing well with it.
Here is a short blurb about the last several weeks.
As mentioned above, I started a new job and as always I realized I had very few work clothes. (Unfortunately in my new position I am not supposed to wear scrubs...bummer.) So I headed to our local Goodwill and found a great selection. My daughter was with me, which made shopping a bit hard, but I ended up with 2 new pairs of pants, 1 new short-sleeved sweater and a jacket. I enjoyed my experience and almost found it easier to find what I was looking for than in a regular store or mall. I also found it very interesting to look around and see who was there.
I saw a wide variety of people shopping, judging by their appearance. There were people who appeared to be in dire need of new clothes and others who appeared just to be searching for good deals. I saw old clunkers in the parking lot and new-looking, expensive cars. Some of the clothes on the rack were quite raged and some were pricey name brands. It was like separate worlds were colliding and the basic need (or want) of clothes or goods was what was bringing them together. (At least that was the nice way I chose to look at it.)
Although everything I have posted thus far has been positive, I have had struggles. The biggest one right now is deciding what to buy for two weddings coming up. I go back and forth trying to decide if I should take my commitment into this area. I originally thought I would use my creativity to come up with something that would fit into my area of allowed buying. However, the more I think about it the more I wonder if this is the right thing to do. I spent some time the other night researching different options, but they all seemed a bit lame. Marriage is something to be celebrated and giving someone a gift is a way to honor them and celebrate along side them. I know a "home-made" gift is often more special than one bought at a store, but it just doesn't seem to be working here.
One of my friends has asked for camping gear. So, although I have decided to chip in for a purchased gift, I am excited about the gift in general. Ian and I love to camp and have had some really great memories doing so in our last 7 years of marriage. I always think that healthy marriages include ones where the couple enjoy doing things together and experiencing adventure together along the way. In my opinion, what better way to do that than camping?!
So, although I guess I am technically cheating, I am realizing that I am excited about giving this gift. I'm not doing it out of my normal feeling of obligation, but out of celebration. I guess deciding to buy used is changing me and for that I am thankful.
Now, what to do for wedding number two?
