The Art of Zen Living

I think one of the skills that we’ve pushed out of western society is patience. At first, I thought what we’d lost was “delayed gratification”, but upon reflection, the skill that’s missing is required for, but more basic than, simply delaying gratification.

The only time we seem to be in the now is when we’re insisting on getting some material thing now. E-Z Terms, Instant Credit, no payments until next year - whatever the marketing buzz is it’s about parting us from our money, often before we’ve even earned it! We’ve traded in our citizenship in the community to be consumers in the capitalism. Our choices are no longer between “right” and “wrong” or “good” and “bad” - our choice is between “red” and “blue”. So how do we change that?

Practice. We change it with practice. The skill that is missing, in this case, is patience. Patience is an important skill. It contributes to my happiness, my ability to make good, frugal decisions about my life, and it helps me keep things simple. There is an argument to be made that when you’re excited about a material gain, you’re in the “now” because you’re excited about the item. I can’t currently refute that argument, but I know it’s wrong.

I’m a beginner, so I’m starting small. Anything I need goes on a list with a minimum 2 day wait. In that 2 days, I see if maybe I can decide that I don’t really need it, I just want it. Anything I want goes onto a list with a minimum 14 day wait. In that time I see if I can decide I don’t want it, or if I can get by without it.

There are exceptions. For special circumstances, I’ll allow myself $20. Today, patience paid off. We stopped at the “scratch and dent” grocery outlet. I found some great bargains - I’d been looking for vegetarian broth, and the best price I’d seen was $1.79 for 6 cubes. I bought 2 packs today for 49 cents each. I also bought 4 pounds of whole grain buckwheat flour for $4.38 - the best price I’ve found on that so far would have cost me $15.36 for that much. I’ll be honest - I’d never, ever buy it at that price. It had been on my want list for a long time, and then it moved off my want list. So not only did I get a good deal, by staying (well) within my $20, I get to treat myself to a soup I’ve been wanting to try, buckwheat pancakes and buckwheat muffins. The satisfaction is much greater than if I’d just run out and gotten it when I first put it on my want list.

Another way I delay is by always selecting standard, super saver or bargain shipping when I order something. Whatever is the slowest. Not only does that keep the price down, it allows an opportunity to practice patience. I recently ordered a safety razor, blades and almond shave soap from Amazon. There were 2 choices - the prices were the same, but one vendor could ship almost a week faster. I have a month’s worth of blades left for my blade-zilla extreme shaver, so there was no hurry, I’m just EXCITED to try this older style of razor. I’ve been reading reviews from around the web and it seems like I’m in for quite an experience. I chose the vendor that will take an extra week. I’m the one, after all, who wants to change - I owe it to myself to give me as many opportunities to practice as I can.

I’m also excited because it’s only recently that I’ve begun to understand that the new ways aren’t always the best. The more things I try doing the old way, the more things I discover are better that way. I think that topic may be better covered in a post about my first shave with a safety razor!