Sealicious

back to school

Last Friday evening saw me at a tea shop in Providence, sitting by the window at the copper-topped bar. I was drinking tea-infused hot chocolate (what a cool idea) and working on lessons for an online grant-writing class I'm taking. I felt hopeful, inspired, and cozy, and was relishing in the fantasy that I was a student once again.

happiness

I just read this post over on A Desert Fete, and found it really inspiring. I know it gets said alot, but I never tire of hearing how money can't make you truly happy after you make enough to meet your basic needs.

I have a ton of student loan debt (a TON) a few thousand dollars of credit card debt, and some other, lesser debts. Now we have a mortgage. My student debt will probably hang over me for the rest of my days, and I definitely think about it all the time. But I do not regret my decision to go to the graduate program I did because I made the most of it and it gave me everything I needed to start working in my dream field (ummmm ...just not the OPPORTUNITY, aka JOB) to start actually doing it.  But as I already said here, I will be changing that this year.

I frequently pine for more clothes, jewlery, and things, especially after spending any amount of time on the internet or stepping into a store. But not being able to have more things doesn't bother me too much or I tend to get over the coveted item quickly.  One issue I have with this whole "money can't buy you happiness" idea is this - I want more day trips, more travel, more parties. Money (or time spent working to make said money) is usually the reason I have less of those experiences in my life than I'd like.  I am so grateful for the many incredible opportunities and adventures I've had so far, but sometimes I still feel the days are slipping by without me living them the way I'd like.

One of the main reasons I wanted to have a blog was to have a place to document the wonderful experiences (big and small) that I do have.  I hope that this will in turn teach me to be more fully present and to create more of these experiences on my tiny budget. I know this type of personal quest isn't new - I'm grateful to the many blogs that document this because they've really helped inspire me to seek out my own unique way of doing so. I think I am just announcing it "publicly" to hold myself accountable in some way.

 

 
* Definitely loving life on our honeymoon in California

 

P.S. Happy Friday!