It's Embarassing!
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It's embarassing when I say that I can't afford something.
That's because in our society, what we own tells others who we are:
home-owner, Mercedes driver, art collector, Royal Dalton user, etc.
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Eating
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My approach to eating at restaurants changed completely one day when
I had lunch with my friend Karen, who has a trim body.
"No, I don't work out. I just watch what I eat," she says.
When I looked at the menu, I think of what's seems the most tasty.
But even before Karen opens the menu, she's already made up her mind.
"Let's see what else they put in their shrimp salad."
When I say "wow, that picture of baby back ribs sure looks good,"
Karen replies "really? I never look at the pictures."
When the waitress goes through the specials of the day, I ask what soup comes with it. Karen asks how much it weighs. "That's more fat than I want to eat today, thank you."
Before the waitress leaves our table, I ask what's for dessert.
Karen asks for a take-out container.
"How do you know you'll have leftovers before you even look at the food?"
I ask. "They always serve too much. I think they don't want to hassle with people asking for more."
As I was scraping the last trace of banana pudding, I told Karen "this is really good, you ought to try one." She replied "no thanks, it's a luxury I can't afford."
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Extra Time
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"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
—Dr. Bonnie Wasmund
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When I talk with people who I know have to interact with the public all day,
I try to go out of my way to put some hilarity in their day.
Unfortunately, I'm not that funny, and they end up laughing and hoping that I'll go away more quickly.
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Clothes
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I just watched the film "4 Days in September" about the kidnapping of an American ambassador to Brazil during the 60's.
In a conversation with the terrorist, the ambassador mentioned that he had his suits made by a Lisbon tailor (who are among the best in the world).
The terrorist said "I don't know about that. I always get my shirts from a shop."
"I can't afford to do that," the ambassador replied. "I represent my country, so I have to always look my best."
The funny thing is that he can't afford a cheap suit.
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That Sexy Thing
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A group of co-workers were having lunch together when a very attractive woman walked by suggestively. Everyone at the table stared except Andrew, who instead purposely looked for something on the table.
One of the other men asked jokingly "what's the matter, you can't control yourself?"
Andrew replied, "No, I just never want to give my wife any reason to be concerned about me."
"She's not HERE. Are you so insecure?" one of the other men challenged.
"It's about getting into certain habits. Bad habits are a luxury I can't afford," Andrew shrugged.
"Yeah. It doesn't take much to set a woman off," another added before the conversation switched to another topic.
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Unethical Friends
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I was in a class with someone who offered me answers to a test.
We became friends.
But later I found that his interaction with me and my world also reflected a lack of ethics.
He stole my things. He hit on my girlfriend.
Now, I can't afford to have friends who do not have a high standard of ethics.
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Luxuries I Can't Afford
Meditations translated from Greek.
