Day Twenty-Seven: My Journey to Zen
By: Joanne Reid
Tags: Money, Mindfulness, Motivation, Self-awareness, Minimalism

Day Twenty-Seven: My Journey to Zen

Let’s talk about money

Photo by Omid Armin on Unsplash

Money is necessary. And something to be guarded, watched, desired, and admired. Sometimes it can even be used. There are two ways to have money: make more or spend less. I’ve tried it both ways. They each have their good points. The method I preferred varied depending on my mood at the time.

So, I decided to write about money. And I feel like I have nothing to say. I need funds for the utilities, the car, food…. I certainly don’t need to buy any more furniture or household goods.

The thing about money is that everything I did seemed to have a money aspect. Writing for the sake of writing quickly because a matter of making an income with writing. Hence, my ghostwriting career.

I have lived in rural areas a great deal and in the early days of computing, I had to learn how to repair and upgrade my own computer because there were no local Geek Squads. I soon discovered a whole career teaching software and repairing computers.

I enjoyed both lines of work but they were limited opportunities, with very little room to roam. The big software training companies closed down once people learned how to use Windows 95. Or so it seemed. Computers became cheaper and it was just as easy to replace them rather than repair them.

Ghostwriting became competitive with less expensive writers appearing and underbidding on projects. I added a specialty writing skill and for a decade did very well with that. But, alas, all good gigs must come to an end.

Over the period of writing about my journey to Zen, I have been revving up my writing and to my surprise, I still feel the tug of duty to make money with it. Blogging about it is not a money-making proposition and it has been a joy to wake up and think about today’s post that I am planning to write.

So far so good.

Being mindful and noticing things I have not noticed in the past has also been reasonably good. I feel like I have grabbed something that will improve my writing experience in understanding that I can just write for the pure joy of the experience.

Money has never impacted other aspects of my life. At least, I don’t think so. Going out to eat has been my big activity. Buying more and bigger computer equipment has been my secret vice.

Until this week, I did not realize how anti-social I had become. I used to have a regular routine of breakfasts and lunches out. Sometimes, I used to do breakfast at the local restaurant that segued into lunch and once or twice segued further into coffee.

The restaurant burned to the ground in May. There are others around with appropriate social distancing measures in place and I have been out two or three times over the past five months. We cook more at home and we’re having fun with that.

In my downsizing the clutter, I realized that I have four times the equipment I need for any computer-related venture. I did not buy the mechanical typewriter style keyboard that I thought was so compelling. I don’t seem to miss it. I can function perfectly fine without it.

There, that is all I have to say about money. I need to stop making it the focus of my writing. I need to stop buying more computer stuff because it appeals to me.

The pleasure in my life comes from relaxing with my loved ones, the beauty of nature, and the stories in my head. These are priceless.