We save our receipts. All of them. They are the trail that you could follow to find out where we've been, where we eat, what our hobbies are, where we spend our time, what we read, our favorite sbux indulgences, etc. I would describe our receipts as a tell-all tale of where our true affections lie. And when you realize that the mountain of little scraps of paper on the desk isn't an origami project gone wild, but is our life described in dollars & cents, then whoa, back up the adding machine and let's get serious about what's really important in life.
Of course, this whole topic came to mind today because I'm handcuffed to the desk today and have been inputting receipts as fast as I can so Dan can finish our taxes and budget this weekend. I've got 1/2 my mind on receipts and 1/2 my mind is kind of daydreaming about what better ways we could have spent our money. I'm not saying we were terribly wasteful, just lacked planning at times. No milk in the house? Drive thru McDonald's for breakfast. No bread in the house? Pick up a deli sandwich for Steven's lunch. No time to defrost meat for dinner? Go 2 blocks to Desert Jade or across the street to Chuy's for dinner. Can't find Steven's belt in the morning? Swing in to WalMart on the way to school. After school snack? Nothing wrong with the Value Menu at our favorite fast food joints. Forget to gas up at Sam's Club? Fill up at the Shell Station near work for $.20 more per gallon. Do you see what I'm saying? When I slow down and analyze my days, I am keenly aware of living life in "reactionary" mode.
When the "day of reckoning" (receipt inputting day) comes, I always vow to be more disciplined and live life more proactively. And this works for about 2 weeks. Then deadlines crop up and holidays and school projects and working late and......well, then the "day of reckoning" comes again. And then life is well-ordered again. And so the cycle continues. And becomes our way of life. The dance we dance.
At the end of the day, the things in life that are really important, like worship and family and friends require no receipts or dollar amounts. Just time and love and devotion and listening and praying and grace and kindness. I can truly slow down. Dance a full waltz instead of half a tango. Defrost the meat while hanging out with the family then cook dinner and eat late by candlelight. And spend less money on getting by and more time doing life deeply together. What a concept.
