Weekend Coffee Share,  Living Beneath My Means

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share,  hosted by Natalie the Explorer.  Thanks for visiting! It’s a green tea day for me and warm out, but come along and enjoy your favorite daytime beverage! If we were having coffee, I’d tell you what’s on my mind.

I’ve been testing my students throughout last week, and students overall are getting excited for the holidays. Needless to say, last week was tiring. So, I didn’t do much in my writing life, but I got to meet with my News Club kids, and they made great strides!

One of the rewards this week offered was the most beautiful sunset after Monday night’s club meeting. (I wait until the last student gets picked up).

Friday, my car began lurching on the way to work. It was very slow on the pickup and shaky. I stubbornly kept driving to work and carefully drove it home that evening. My son and his dad called around about where to take it in. At 1 o’clock I took it to the Toyota dealership. Sometimes I avoid then, as they cost more and always suggest I trade it in.

The last thing I want is a new car payment. I paid it off only two years ago! Now’s the time to save up for retirement; I certainly need to be happy with less. I want more experiences (travel) and less things!

Thus is my quest to move toward minimalism. I told the mechanic I used to drive a used Toyota Camry until it reached 200,000 miles. The current one only has 103,000 miles and is a Corolla. I think 200,000 is a great goal!

We’ll see if my methods help me save. I plan to retire before age 60. I have a few years to go….

I’m willing to listen to and entertain any wise minimalist ideas you all may have. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Advertisement

Weekend Coffee Share. Minimalist?

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer. Some of you may be warming by a fire, but I’m drinking iced coffee with the ceiling fans going today. Grab a cup of iced or hot energy and pull up a chair!

Yes, it’s 75 degrees today in Jacksonville, Florida, and I’m getting ready to have a pedicure in a little while. We had a cool spell last week, but this weekend feels sort of like Spring. We do have a few fall colors, though.

Taken at 1 p.m.
And….this is what Christmas time looks like for us! (taken at 5 p.m.)

I’ve been considering going a little bit minimalist this Christmas. The idea of minimalism appeals to me right now as I ponder retirement and how little I have for emergencies or the desired vacation abroad. I get by fine, but I could really make a difference for myself if I just don’t buy the ugly Christmas sweater I was browsing last night.

Not me:

Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels.com

Why should I pay 20 or even 10 dollars for something I would only wear once a year? I shouldn’t. Nor do I need to buy two or more gifts for everyone. Families go through this, too. I don’t have a big family, but buying for people I haven’t seen in four years isn’t easy, so I don’t see spending too much. If they tell you the exact gift they want, where is the surprise? What am I saying with this gift? Handmade or even little gifts with a personal touch are much better than the latest gadget. A friend posted about this on social media, and I totally agree with her sentiments.

I was going to go to a holiday event last night but we had a refrigerator replacement delivered, something that is a necessity. It’s smaller than the old one (minimalism), but it works! I plan to go to church in the morning where there will be Christmas music, and I think that will help set the seasonal mood…not for shopping, but for peace and kindness.

Hopefully, the minimalist spirit will stay with me. It could just be the thing to supplement my retirement savings plan!

Have a great week, everyone!

In Pursuit of…

Peace of mind

(C) 2021 by Pamela Schloesser Canepa

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…

It’s our right.

How much does the pursuit of happiness cost?

Is it found in a mall,

In a thrift store, or a horse stall?

Does it result in a mountain of clothes on your closet floor

Or moments in the sun, fluffy dog at your feet on the floor?

Is it day after day working hard and staying late

Pursuing the money, or….is it the simple fun you can create?

I find that my stuff starts collecting dust

One thing hides another, and I forget what the motive was.

Maybe happiness is to be minimalist and free

To enjoy a given moment and just

Be.

Happiness means different things for each of us.

I hope to find the answer to this.

I’ll make sure to let you know

If I find true bliss.

***Written in response to the word of the day prompt at https://ragtagcommunity.wordpress.com/2021/03/08/rdp-monday-pursuit/ Visit the link and check it out!

Excess. Friday Fictioneers, #flashfiction

 

 

He’d spent years collecting these things and never used any of them.  Today he was going to make use of them in the best way possible.

Dwight gathered several of the clothes on the shelves and placed them in a bag for the shelter downtown.  Among them, the sweatshirt from his birthday, never worn.

The excess of his family was embarrassing.  This was a sort of rebellion; they’d either praise him for a newfound generosity or chide him for being reckless. Yet, this wasn’t reckless.

He grabbed the old clock.  Mr. Brewer next door would love tinkering with it.

 

*100 words*

P.S.- When I pondered the many objects here, my mind went to Chris McCandless,  subject of the movie and non-fiction book, Into the Wild

It is a true story of his longing to give up a privileged life of excess and of his travels from California to the Alaskan wilderness, living off of nature along the way.  There is no happy ending, as he went to such extremes. The book seemed to really dive into his psyche and speculate on why he went to such extremes.  We may never know, but this book really made me think.  It’s quite interesting that this photo prompt was offered around Black Friday!

Friday Fictioneers is a challenge posted at https://rochellewisoff.com/ weekly with the posting of a new photo prompt.  The stories are to be 100 words or less, and contain a beginning, middle, and end.  Please visit Rochelle’s site to learn how to join in and read other entries in this Flash fiction challenge!

 

%d bloggers like this: