So, we don't have cable over here in our abode. I feel like it's a waste of money and, oh the time, the time that would be wasted! It would be astounding. Every time I go home to visit my mom (who is a very busy, always working on something, getting something done, type of person) we pretty much spend the better part of an entire weekend sitting on the couch watching cake challenges on Food Network (it's quite fantastic actually!!). I suppose one weekend in a blue moon is alright, but if cable existed in my life everyday, it would be bad. We waste enough time as it is with an antennae and Netflix. (You know what I would pay money for, though? If a cable company said "Okay, pay this much a month and you can get 10 channels of your choice, any combination." Don't you think people would pay for that? Who needs 600 channels for soccer, tacky jewelry, and preachers screaming at you??? 400 maybe, but 600 is just gluttonous.) Okay, so, right, we don't have cable. We also don't have gym memberships. We USED to have gym memberships and in the time that we did, I discovered that the best way for me to exercise is while watching HGTV on one of those cool treadmills with its own TV. Are you beginning to see a problem here? (I'll give you a hint: I don't have HGTV access or a treadmill.)
So I've started exercising again, recently, because let's face it, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are edging closer to the door and, fun and delicious as they are, they usually bring copious amounts of calories with them. I like to get in shape ahead of time so I don't feel as guilty when I'm back to where I am now.
ANYWAYS
I'm exercising again, so I go use the gym here at the apartment complex (not the fanciest shmanciest but hey it's "free" - I'm sure the price for using it is somewhere in my lovely rent payment every month - and it's better than a kick in the pants). So I'm watching this show called "Sell Me Now" or "Designed To Sell" or "The Baby Is Going To Die If The House Isn't Sold" I don't know, they all kind of sound the same and have the same premise (personally, "House Hunters" and "Property Virgins" are my favorite, because I LOVE looking at houses) and they start out by introducing the family as a couple who is outgrowing their home because they just had a baby. I thought 'Oh okay, so maybe it's a super tiny shoe box house and life just took an unexpected turn?' They then proceeded to describe, and take the viewer on a tour of, their THREE bedroom home. Now, call me crazy, but the last time I checked, babies usually take up one room? At the most? I don't have one myself (a baby) so I can't be for sure, and in the beginning of their existence they just kind of have a bed, right? In the parent's room? I couldn't help but wonder what space was becoming so cramped that two adults and an infant couldn't fit into a three bedroom house.
But then I saw what it was. This child, you know, the one who is maybe 4 months old, had more toys than Santa's workshop.
Oh clutter.
I. Can't. Stand. Clutter.
Just ask the man I'm married to. He will tell you how I feel about his stash of clothes on his side of the bed (it's the side facing the wall and you can't see it when you walk into the room, so I don't see the bleh over there immediately, and I can pretend it's NOT there, so I'll just let it go...)
Moving on, I'm one of the last people to get all political and economical and actually understand all of that which is going on right now concerning politics and the economy. It's not that I'm not interested, my brain just has other information it would rather absorb (like, how DO you get that marbled nail polish look??). As I was watching this show, however, I couldn't help but think that this was so "typical" of an American family, and they're a great example of people's (at large) mentality. You know? I want it, I want it all, I want it now.
I bet they bought her a bike as soon as she came out of the womb. Now, I realize I'm not a parent and I may be singing a different tune when I have children of my own, but I know excess when I see it. Those two bought toys excessively for their kid. They were ALL OVER that house. And also, why do you need a bigger house for the 2.3 of you? WHY do you need to spend more money??? Adapt with what you have, give some of the toys to kids in Africa who actually fit into the appropriate age limits for which to play with them, and BE HAPPY! (after re-reading this, I think maybe I'm being too hard on them and I realize I don't know anything about them beyond what I saw on the show, but still, I was annoyed)
Maybe it just irked me more than usual because Mike and I have recently become really fired up about getting our student loans paid off. Like, to the point where, when our lease is up in February, we'll be downsizing to a much smaller apartment to pay less in rent. (Which reminds me, that I need to stop making declarations about my life. When we moved into this apartment, I swore up and down and sideways that I was not moving again until we bought a house. Heavenly Father has such a funny way of putting us in our place.) And we're really excited about it actually!
I told Mike the other day that I feel like I've been living with this thought process that we're in our 20's and we need to have fun and do all of this stuff now while we're young (who knew the media had gotten that far into my head?? It's frightening!) and I suddenly realized "It's all still going to be there! Europe isn't going anywhere! (as far as I know...) We can still travel in 10 years! There will still be houses to buy in 10 years!" (or whenever we travel or buy a house or whatever)
So, while having dreams and ambitions is good and a necessary part of life (are you going to really accomplish anything without goals?), I'm going to stop wishing for those things right now, and take realistic steps to work towards them.
Great googily moogily, I'm scaring myself with my own wisdom.
Seriously though, faithful readers, you definitely should qualify for some sort of therapy degree by now, since you've been reading my blog.