Yesterday was another blur. I’m not sure I accomplished everything I was supposed to, so I’m going to give it another try today. I spent some time thinking about my parents, but there are other people I need to thank. I guess that’s one of the nice things about this gratitude challenge. There’s nothing that says you can only do these things once.
Today’s challenge is about resisting consumerism. We live in a society where someone is always trying to sell us something. Turn on the television, scroll through your phone, or check your email, and somebody is telling you that you deserve something newer, bigger, faster, or better. And if you don’t already want it, they’ll do their best to convince you that you need it. The truth is, most of us already have more than enough. We know better, even if we don’t always act like it.
Apparently, even dogs need to work on resisting temptation. Ginger is convinced she deserves one of those cheeseburgers, and she’s having a difficult time understanding why she can’t have one. In her defense, she isn’t particularly concerned about consumerism, and she has never been very good at distinguishing between wants and needs. Come to think of it, neither are most of us.
So today, instead of treating yourself to something you probably don’t need, do something for someone else. Buy someone lunch, pick up the tab for a stranger, or make a donation to a cause you care about. It doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. The idea is to spend a little less time thinking about what we want and a little more time thinking about what we can do for others.
Tonight, write about what you did and how it made you feel. Did you feel like you missed out on something by not treating yourself? Or did doing something for someone else turn out to be the better deal?
