Being Rich

"He who knows he has enough is rich" - Tao Te Ching

I have never wanted to be rich. I don't have fantasies about winning the lottery. I don't feel a longing desire for any particular thing that may or may not be within my reach such as a particular pair of shoes, or vacation, or watch, or kitchen appliance. I have no doubt that my happiness is not at all tied up in the things I could buy. And yet, I don't really KNOW that I have enough, at least in that visceral way that Tao Te Ching seems to be referring to. And, I love beautiful things and feel a lot of bothersome temptation over things that I see in stores. For example, I definitely have enough scarves (I am embarrassed to say I have over 30), but is one pair of jeans "enough"? I keep thinking I need a second pair but one is probably enough since I used to have two but really only wore one because it was my favorite...

One of the things that I am really enjoying about this no spend month is the freedom from wanting to buy stuff, or even having to ponder or consider buying stuff, that I may or may not need. The agonizing over what to get, if I really need it, and whether I could get a better deal somewhere else, that's all been set aside for this month. I am hoping I will emerge with a better understanding of myself and my relationship to things that I could or do in fact own. I am hoping that I will feel the richness of knowing that I do indeed have enough.