How can 5c, $5 and more contribute to your life?
To a free spirit, the idea of being confined to my home indefinitely during a pandemic wasn’t something I welcomed. Yet, what has unfolded in this time of quietude is truly unexpected.
Contrary to expectations, I haven’t binged on television shows.
I have gone on rambling walks with my 11-year-old whippet, watched the autumn colours deepen, and pondered the various moving parts and pieces of my life.
Change can be subtle and surprising. This was most noticeable with regards to money.
Like many Australian families, we too experienced job loss and a wage cut. (On the flip side, my son who works for a supermarket was busier than ever and also kept us supplied with essentials!)
This sense of uncertainty has encouraged me to use the Access Consciousness money tools I have learned.
I am remembering to ask, “If I buy you, will you make me money?” of every loaf of bread, tub of yoghurt or bunch of spinach.
This question is designed to allow every molecule in the universe to contribute to you, and it’s easy to ask when making large purchases. Or so I told myself.
The reality is that $5 can be a contribution to my life. How many of us ignore five cents on the footpath while moaning about not having enough money?
Through these behaviours, I’ve been sending mixed messages to the universe. Asking for more money – universe, show me the money – while disparaging and rejecting smaller sums.
What if we never defined money by the amount we receive but are always surprised and grateful for every cent that shows up?
This brings me to something else I’ve noticed. Ever since life shrank down to essentials, I have more gratitude for the treats I receive.
Lately, I’ve been running errands and shopping for my mum.
Mum is in her eighties and loves to reward people in tangible ways. Before, I would have impatiently brushed off her slabs of chocolates or packs of tea towels. Now I allow myself to receive these small offerings she enjoys giving.
Also, with more businesses opting for card payments and me making fewer impulse purchases, my pile of cash has grown. One day I opened my wallet and marvelled at the beautiful colours of Aussie currency I had accumulated.
Another money tool I have learned is to carry the sum of money I think a rich person would carry.
For years I resisted this as being crass and vulgar, or I would carry lots of cash and then spend it. It took a pandemic to change these judgments.
I wonder what else is possible for me to change?
This article initially appeared in Holistic Bliss Magazine