Reach for diamonds but don't drop the gems.

I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth.
At times I wish I had been, perhaps life would have been different then.

When I was growing up, being comfortable meant having a roof over your head, enough food to eat, and joyous times with family and friends. Having two coins left to rub together at the end of the week and you had beat the odds. Everyone was in the same boat, floating down the river singing "row row row your boat, gently down the stream, merrily merrily merrily merrily, life is but a dream"!

When did making money become more important to us than making a life?

Growing up we didn’t have much, but what we did have was the ability to use what little resources we had to fulfill our needs. Two tin cans and a length of string entertained kids for hours; that was enough for a two-way phone that had served both to satiate our hunger and provide fun for hours. It was cheap, easy and didn’t break the bank.

Going on a date meant picnics in the park, sandwiches, sweet lemonade, and nothing but staring into each others eyes. Simple, sweet and romantic. The stuff movies are made of. But it was enough, and wedding bells would still ring without the need for pomp and pageantry. Sometimes the best things in life are cheap and free Today, it’s not enough to just make do with what you have and growing a little savings in the bank because you have the dream of one day buying a car. Nowadays, few have savings, and the car they own is not actually theirs because the loan they took out means it still belongs to the bank. Come to think of it, for many, so might the phone, TV, couch, jewellery, wedding vows, and first born child be. And the vacation you took last winter….you’ll be paying for that for years. We’ve turned into a non self-sufficient society, wanting everything now and getting it no matter the cost. Saving is a thing of the past, credit is where it is at these days.

We are the product of our own self-sabotage

We borrow to the max, leading to sleepless nights worrying about how to pay the bills. When sickness arises from stress and anxiety over those bills, we don’t have the money to pay for medical and the sickness gets worse. But we’ve got a great looking car, the latest phone, our dates aren’t cheap, and that wedding that cost over $10,000, lasted less than a year.

What a wicked web we weave! Success isn’t about what you own, what you do, or how much money you have. Because money isn’t everything. Sure, money makes life easier, I’d like more, I’m sure we all would, but it will never buy you love, health, or happiness. There is no time like the present to step back and say, "wait a minute". It’s all just stuff. It’s all just a number on the books. It’s a float down the river to never being satisfied enough. Diamonds, the hardest and most shiny gem, more often than not the most coveted. A diamond represents success, it oozes out the thought “wow, they must be rich”. Personally, I can think of so many more gems that could outshine even the brightest and largest diamond money could buy... and they wouldn't break the bank. But hey, if diamonds are your thing, then go for it, search for that one perfect diamond but don't drop the gems along the way. The smallest gem can carry the biggest smile, light up the darkest room, sing the brightest song, make the sweetest story. These gems are not bought; they are the most precious gems, mined by even the poorest of souls. Take what sparkles in your life and embrace the beauty, embrace the moment, embrace the feeling! Riches are not measured by the coins in your hand, but by the gems in your life! Yes, the best things in life are truly free

*********************************************

See my needle arts
See my artsy endeavours
Purchase my colouring book pages