The Big Turnoff
It tells me my shelving units are inadequate, my sink faucets are less than stylish, my living room is not painted in the most trendy colour and why use IKEA PVC free shower curtains when I could get them from Restoration Hardware for ten times the price? I can't get away from all of this junk. I'm surrounded!
That evening at home, I sat in my little living room and thought about my friends' homes. They were clean and bright, they had a mixture of furniture, some old, some new, some nice, some in sad shape. These pals bought furniture when the old stuff wore out, they painted the walls when scuff marks and children's fingerprints and artwork took their toll. They didn't live the sleek and stylish and fabulous lives on television. I realized I didn't know anyone who lived like that and even if they did repaint, redecorate and get a new wardrobe, they'd still have to clean, go grocery shopping and do the laundry just like everyone else.
What was I thinking? I didn't just fall off the onion truck. I'm a grown woman with a lot of life experience. Did I really believe for one minute that spending a bunch of cash would bring me a new lifestyle other than one with a lot more bills?
But then again, if the average adult person with life experience were immune to advertising, it wouldn't exist. They only use it because it works - because we are all susceptible to it. We all want things to run smoothly, to be cheerful and graceful. We all want a life of ease and serenity. We want to surround ourselves with things that evoke ease, serenity and smooth, effortless grace - with things that represent the kind of life we want. Whether it's dish soap or new shoes, if we think it will make a big difference in life, or even in our own perspective, we'll buy it.
But I know that living a life of ease and serenity will not be accomplished with new purchases, though it may sometimes allow me to make those needed purchases. So, I put the TV remote in the kitchen gadget drawer and stuck my newspaper on my neighbors porch. I went inside, made some tea and cracked open a good book that had nothing to do with fashion, trendy people or interior design. The next week on
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