When Does It Stop?

Sometimes, when I am bored and nothing interests me on TV, I channel surf.  Nine times out of 10, I find myself sucked into some reality show.  I had been hooked on Real Housewives of New Jersey, then got tired of the drama.  At some point, I just wanted to slap all of them.  I would watch Real Housewives of Atlanta - same crap.

I got stuck on watching Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on Saturday.  Overall - I do not consider any of these women "housewives."  Sure, they are married, but do they really do any of the work I remember my mom doing?  I am sure one could argue in some capacity that these women are, but I don't think so.

Two of the "housewives" were giving birthday parties for their daughters.  I think my mouth nearly fell out when I saw how much this one woman was spending on her 4 year old's party.  All of the other 25 little girls were getting diamond Barbie necklaces as party favors.  Small wonder these kids cannot appreciate anything.

I know there are times when I am a "shop-aholic", but good grief.  These women spend money like there is no tomorrow.  It was acceptable to pay between $15,000 to $20,000 on a birthday party.  I know how some women struggle to get enough money to have a party at Chuck E. Cheese, but this was just insane.

Next, there was the description of one "housewife's" work for the home.  Two nannies, a cook, and heaven only knows how many maids.  She had 3 kids and her husband had no patience for dealing with the kids, so he would walk away.  In the mean time, she let them get away with murder.  Hello?!  We consider this "parenting?"

I sat there and thought about those single parents and one income families that have to struggle to make ends meet.  None of them can afford to have someone else do all of the dirty work for them.  They have to do it on their own, but many of them work hard to make sure their children get what they need.  Sure, every parent wants to give the world for their children, but honestly, that cannot happen.  It builds no character.

I am an only child.  I got a lot of things for being an only child that other kids did not get, but I did not get everything I ever wanted.  I had to learn about working for it.  I think that is where I sort of screwed up in my own life.  I work hard for the money I get, then I do not think about what I want to spend that money on - what would give me the most joy or realization of what it is I need more.  Therefore, I make stupid mistakes.  I try hard, now, not to make those types of mistakes.  Still, I do not expect anyone to just give me anything.  When I get something for free, sometimes, I am hesitant about accepting it.  I want to know why I earned it.

Today's Message from God to me:

Today, we believe God wants you to know that ...

your task is not to seek for love, but to seek and melt all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.

God loves you with the very air you breathe, the very light that touches your skin, the very ground that supports you. Love is everywhere, - melt your barriers, and you will have love in abundance.

I am sure that there is a lot of truth in the above message for me.  I wonder why I am still alone after all of these years.  I know one problem is how I deal with work.  After last weekend, I am going to try harder to set concrete boundaries and if I do not answer the phone, I should not feel bad.  I have my life, too.  I have things I need to do for myself.  Others need to meet the challenge - I have done it for a long time.  I have to make these changes in order to live the life I really want.