Time To Get Rich

We went to the park this morning to meet some friends, and even though our friends didn't show up, it was a perfect morning. Aidan was content to swing the entire time, pumping on his own; Avery and her friend explored every nook and cranny of the area; and I sat on a blanket and read several chapters of Not Buying It by Judith Levine (which by the way I did not buy).

The girls stopped by the blanket for a few minutes to read my mood - apparently dark blue means love. "Love" is not the word I would choose to describe my mood as of late, I feel "peace" or "contentment" would be more appropriate, but "love" works because I am most definitely loving my life right now. Reading Not Buying It has led me to analyze my place in the economy, and as of late the economy has been on my mind and probably yours as well. I'm not much of a consumer, I need and want very little. I no longer get warm fuzzies from shopping sprees. I haven't earmarked a page in a Williams-Sonoma catalog for years (especially not since I cut my credit cards in half). My mother-in-law asked me what I wanted for my birthday - and I couldn't think of a single thing. Well OK, a shopping spree at Anthropologie on someone else's credit card did flash through my mind for a split second, but I doubt it would give me warm fuzzies.

In my own personal view of economics, I am wealthy beyond compare. I own quite a bit of stock in the commodity I value most: time. I can spend it how I want and everyday I get more. I can afford to take my kids to the park, sit for hours reading a book, try a new recipe, nurse a sick child, visit with family and friends, and write about it - all in one day with time to spare. I can even afford to postpone doing the dishes because I have time to do that later.

I'm sure few people share my views on economics. In fact the world economy might come to a crashing halt (even sooner) if people subscribed to my ideas. Or maybe not. Time as wealth puts all of us on an even playing field - we each get twenty four hours a day and free reign on how we spend it. Of course this is all a gross simplification of economics, but I'm Buying It, and feeling pretty satisfied with my purchase. Consumer confidence is king after all.