In the Madness of the Moment

Do you ever find yourself at an event, or in a store when something that you never thought you needed or even wanted suddenly becomes your most immediate desire? Like the girl who goes to a party where all the women enjoy reading mysteries and immediately stops on the way home to buy a mystery book. She awakes the next morning only to wonder, why did she buy a mystery book when she hates mysteries? Or the girl while content and happy with her $20 purse at home, upon travel to Milan, Italy realizes that her life won’t be complete without a designer bag. Suddenly her nose is pressed against the glass staring at the Louis Vuitton, Prada and Gucci stores brimming with delights that she is sure will fit the bill instead of seeing the beautiful city sights she had been waiting for.

Why do we do this? From the time we are kids wishing, hoping and pleading on a whim for the Barbie our girlfriend at school has, to the future where we are still repeating the same pattern of behavior. Is it because not having these immediate gratification items causes us to feel less “worthy” than the others around us who possess them? Is it because standing out from others makes us uncomfortable? Or is it simply us, becoming lost in the beauty and desires of the moment?

Whatever you call it jealousy, group think, ego, pride, lack of will power it is something I want to fight. The feeling inside when I leave an event where I compromised my values simply because, “Everyone else was doing it!” The sick feeling in the pit of my stomach when I realize the immediate gratification purchase put me over budget for the month. The simple fact that my need to stop at the store for some momentary need caused me to be late for someone important to me. These feeling are, 

just. not. worth. it!

Me holding up my $20 purse in front of the Louis Vuitton store, a visual aid to always remind me of what is really important. Family, love, kindness and living your life by your values and dreams…not by the madness of a moment.