May 20th, 2016
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blue skies

I confess that I am one of those people who will walk into a store and use it to help me decompress from a stressful situation.

I don’t always buy something to make me feel better but I will enter a store and browse around for a good twenty minutes with the intention of being distracted, so that I can forget, at least for a short period of time, about what I am trying to handle.

I think just the act of just being in a different place with different vibes contributes to helping me loosen up.  It helps me breathe again.  It helps take me to another place that’s lighter and less frustrating and after awhile I leave the store and then go about the rest of my day.

I have no expectation that finding something pretty or something entirely unnecessary will make me feel better.  I’ve tried that before and it doesn’t work.  In fact it usually makes me feel worse because then I feel I’ve wasted my money which I really dislike doing.

What I’m looking for is the change in scenery and a big change in energy, not necessarily the need to buy something.

Have you ever felt this way?

I think all of us at one time or another use retail therapy as a quick fix.  The trap of retail therapy is when it becomes the end all be all for making you feel better all the time.  You do it without thinking.  It become automatic.  I’d be the first to admit that material things are lots of fun but they really are momentary rush and I think most of the time end up disappointing us.

I write about this today because I recently read the following wisdom from LoriDeschene, author of Tiny Buddha, and her insights were so on the mark that I thought I would share it in case it is something you also find interesting:

“If you expect that money will melt away all your sadness, you will be disappointed.  No amount of cash and coins can fill a hole in a heart.  If you expect money will get you other people’s approval, you will be disappointed.  Affluence doesn’t guarantee people will value who you are as a person.  If you expect money will buy you other people’s respect, you will be disappointed.  People may be fascinated by wealth — and envious, because we assume it’s a lucky shot with a happiness chase — but none of us give automatic respect just because someone has amassed a fortune.  Just like money, all those things have to be earned.”

May life treat you well today!

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