Stuff

This past Saturday was the day for Earth Hour.  Hubby and I celebrated it for the second year in a row by lighting candles and spending an hour engrossed in conversation.  It was a nice way to make the world stop for a minute and reconnect on a personal level.  Often our lives are so busy we only talk in quick bits and pieces throughout the day; rarely do we have a long conversation.  I'm sure that's the case with many people.  Although the purpose of Earth Hour is to bring awareness to the fragile nature of our environment and the unsustainability of our power grid, it can also be promoted as a way to reconnect with family and friends on a more meaningful level.  


I'm in the home stretch on my "Not a Cent for Lent" pledge.  Unlike last year, when I gave up watching the news, it really hasn't been that difficult.  Living in the country, away from the temptations of retail, probably helped.  However, when I was in town, there were very few times I even felt tempted.  The first time was in the grocery store when I was reading a magazine at the checkout line and almost tossed it in my basket.  Reviewing these past weeks since Ash Wednesday, I see I really didn't spend any extra money.  The items that came closest were the two iced teas and the one bottle of water I purchased when I was out of town on a day trip.  I don't know if these even count as nonessentials as I had brought my own drinks with me but I drank them and was still thirsty.  This pledge has made me aware of what is necessary and what is a mere desire.  I'm hoping I will keep this in the back of my mind whenever I'm tempted to buy a nonessential - and that I go ahead and purchase what would be meaningful and important to me while forgoing something that would be wasteful in the long run.