Purposeful Leisure

This is the brief description of the life I want to have
I want to live in an environment of leisure, but I want to use my leisure time purposefully
I want to give back to the world
I want to practice – with my mind, my hands, my back – the art of charity, the art of assistance, the art of giving.
I want to feel that I have made a positive difference in people’s lives

Gratitude

I have and have had an amazing life.
I live in a beautiful part of the world, in a comfortable house.
I have a job that allows me to pay my bills and to own and do everything I want to do.
I have a wonderful, loving wife who supports me whether or not I give her reason to
I have a beautiful, wonderful daughter who will grow into a happy and productive adult
I have an extended family and friends who love me for the person they see in front of them, not the person I have stressed over not being
I have so much
I am grateful for all that I have

Thrift and Abundance

It is important to understand that these are not contradictory concepts. The one leads to the other; the one supports the other.
We can achieve abundance if we practice thrift.
This may mean that we do things that contradict our preconceptions: Wear a shirt that belonged to someone else, buy and repair a broken appliance rather than a brand new one; serve dinner on a mismatched variety of plates and eat it using an abundance of mismatched cutlery.
We can create abundance if we practice thrift.