A World of Privilege

The past 24 hours have been very contemplative for me. I left work yesterday after having a conversation with a couple of folks about living in excess and have been thinking about what that means for me and my family ever since. One of my colleagues was sharing a story about a doctor friend of his who makes six figures a year, but has no real material items. He sold his house and now rents a room for $300 a month from a friend. He drives a Honda with over 100,000 miles on it. He does like to travel, but only does so a couple times a year and never buys souvenirs or trinkets from the places he visit. Granted, he is single and without children, but I left thinking how much simpler his life must be because he doesn't worry about "stuff." You know, how much stuff he has, what to do with the stuff and why he doesn't have the same stuff his friends have.

Our Nation lives in excess. Think about it, how many pairs of shoes do you have? I know I have at least twenty, but was thinking yesterday afternoon that I needed to shop for more summer sandals. What is the least you could get by with having? How much food from the fridge do you throw away the day you go grocery shopping or at night after dinner? Lastly, what are we teaching children (our own, nieces or nephews, those we mentor)about the "stuff" they have, want or need? These were/are my thoughts. Then this morning, my morning show personalities read a letter on the radio talking about getting our kids "stuff." The basic premise was that we get our kids "stuff" in an effort to show them we love them. I found myself wondering if I do that. The Boy doesn't have nearly as much "stuff" as most of the other kids his age I know, but he does still have a room full of "stuff" and it's not his bedroom. I am a working mom and often feel guilt for not staying home with the Boy, but does that play out in the things I get for him? Did I buy the 2 gallon bucket of bubbles for him the other day because I unconsciously feel guilty that I haven't spent enough time with him this week?

I am guilty of the "why can't we have that?" mentality and feel so selfish and shallow when I have those feelings. But, some of the time, friends do not understand why we can't get furniture for our living room or spend $50 on dinner, especially if they can. Our family is very blessed. We truly want for nothing and have much more than many other families could even imagine. I am getting better at believing that and giving back to those who don't have as much as we do. I hope to teach the Boy the value of simple living, philanthropy and service. I especially hope to teach him that the "stuff" we give him doesn't indicate our love for him and that his worth isn't defined by how much "stuff" he has.