On Becoming a Grown-up

As I spent my entire evening sitting at the kitchen table, paying bills, budgeting and finishing up work for a client, it hit me: I'm a grown-up. I gave up bar-hopping a long time ago, but in recent months, I've given up the seemingly inconsequential things--eating out, fashion magazines, bottled water, cute shirts on sale, drinks, dinners out with friends--in the hopes of better, more meaningful things to come. At first, it felt like nickle & diming. Does that $5 In Style magazine really make a difference? What about that $20 pasta dinner when I was too tired to cook? Certainly I deserve indulgences every now and then. Such an insignificant amount of money can't possibly be that meaningful?

Yes, it can, and even more than monetarily. Because these things are fleeting, momentary gratifications that indulge my child self--the ever-petulant teenager who wants what she wants and wants it now.

But the things I want now are much simpler--cheaper in cost, more difficult to find. Sufficient sleep, engaging conversation, like-minded friends, nourishment of body and soul, stolen moments, whole foods, time for reflection, openness to grace--these are life's real treasures.

"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." -Matthew 6:21