There is a line in a song that Meryl Streep sings in the movie a prairie home companion, that I can't get out of my head. "Why are you working so hard to get things you don't really want?" I didn't like the movie that much (though I loved Streep's performance) but still, I can't stop thinking about that line. In the spirit of good enough, there is also the idea of having enough. Having enough things. Well some things, at least. I think about the work it takes to maintain things and though I'm definitely a big lover of things, I'm realizing more and more, that they can cost far beyond the price of purchase. Like the time it takes to clean them or the space it takes to store them or the energy it takes to keep them functional. Now I don't mean all things. I really do love things too much to veer even close to the idea of an ascetic life (my good friends are laughing out loud right now). It's more the larger idea of assessing how much I really want the particular item of desire at hand before I take it home for keeps. Heady I know, but that's what you get with time to let your mind wander (and we'll see how well I do at next week's antique fair). But for now, it's an interesting idea to consider.
Or maybe it's more about being clear about the things you really, really want and not wasting time on the stuff that's just noise. That's a lot harder to do than it sounds. Selective, focused desire. And discipline to move past the sparkly distractions. I think it really takes some time and consideration to actually know what is worthy to you so that, as the song says, "you don't work so hard to get things you don't really want".
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