On Want
So I'm apparently the worst mom in the world. Tonight Beatrix ended up in tears — many tears — because I had told her that if she wanted to do mom and daughter horse camp (which is kind of insanely priced), she had to come up with $25 in cookie credits, or of her own money, or a combination thereof.
So tonight she was looking through the prizes, but the only way she was going to end up with enough cookie credits AND the prizes she wanted was to sell something like 895 boxes of cookies (so now you know where to go for your cookies....)
Which got me thinking about want. It can be such a powerful motivator to achieve, to do your best, to succeed. It can also be so debilitating when you don't get there. And while today it may be a bunch of girl scout prizes that have an unfortunate propensity for breaking easily, at another time it's a job, or a friendship, or a house.
Sometimes it's even just the one-of-a-kind chair at the corner antique shop that would have gone perfectly in your bedroom, or the sweater that is just the right shade of blue and would keep you oh-so-warm and you would wear it and have it cheer up your whole winter, but it only exists in inventory in size xs.
It's about losing the dream more than the item. But then we end up keeping the items around until they are really too much as well. Because maybe they will protect us against want.
And at the same time it's that want, that desire, that keeps you moving forward to do and to be more.
Tonight Beatrix decided to earn some cookie credits and put some of her birthday money towards camp, so she got to experience both sides of the dual-edged sword.
And I'm here typing about what I want while Patrick shows me images of Liberty of London cell phone covers.
So tonight she was looking through the prizes, but the only way she was going to end up with enough cookie credits AND the prizes she wanted was to sell something like 895 boxes of cookies (so now you know where to go for your cookies....)
Which got me thinking about want. It can be such a powerful motivator to achieve, to do your best, to succeed. It can also be so debilitating when you don't get there. And while today it may be a bunch of girl scout prizes that have an unfortunate propensity for breaking easily, at another time it's a job, or a friendship, or a house.
Sometimes it's even just the one-of-a-kind chair at the corner antique shop that would have gone perfectly in your bedroom, or the sweater that is just the right shade of blue and would keep you oh-so-warm and you would wear it and have it cheer up your whole winter, but it only exists in inventory in size xs.
It's about losing the dream more than the item. But then we end up keeping the items around until they are really too much as well. Because maybe they will protect us against want.
And at the same time it's that want, that desire, that keeps you moving forward to do and to be more.
Tonight Beatrix decided to earn some cookie credits and put some of her birthday money towards camp, so she got to experience both sides of the dual-edged sword.
And I'm here typing about what I want while Patrick shows me images of Liberty of London cell phone covers.
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