My washing machine has been out of commission for a few days and I find myself lamenting the unavailability of the clothes that I normally wear. Instead, I am reaching into the back of the drawer to wear socks that I haven’t worn in ages – perfectly good socks, mind you, but not the ones I prefer.”
The same is true in so many other settings. I am able to extract much more peanut butter from the nearly-empty jar when there isn’t an unopened one next to it on the shelf. I can work miracles stretching the supplies for a training workshop when more participants attend than expected, but beforehand I feel compelled to go buy new tools. It may seem like there is nothing to do at home — unless the weather is miserable and I don’t want to leave the premises — and then I suddenly find ways to entertain myself. I claim there is “nothing to wear” unless the washing machine isn’t available and then realize what abundance there is in the closet that is routinely overlooked.
For today, see if you can push yourself to stretch the resources you have. Eat what is in the cupboard instead of going to a restaurant or store. Read a book from the shelf instead of ordering another. Listen to old playlists instead of downloading today’s hits.
Most of us have at our disposal much more than we need but we still want to continually pursue other options for “more” or “new”. In this month of thanksgiving, appreciate what you have instead.
