Thank you for brightening my day with the coffee story....its been a long one.

There's such value in that...such truth! I'm passing it on.

We're not really keeping up with any "Joneses", but my SIL got a huge settlement from a law suit about 5 years ago. She spends money like it's water, charging at least $7000 on her AE card every month and taking lavish vacations and trips during the year. She also has her two kids in every activity you can think of and buys her kids anything and everything that they want. Her kids do not appreciate anything that they have, whereas, I feel like mine do because we can't just go out and buy whatever whenever.

However, she is always behind on her household bills (cable, water, electricity, etc). Sometimes I wish we could take just one trip like they take...but right now we like paycheck to paycheck.

I find that whatever friend or aquaintence I am with at the time... each one has a quality I try to "keep up with" - whether it be her body, her hair, her fashion sense, that she has more patience with her kids, feeds her family healthier, can take lavish vacations, drives a nice car, has a huge home, etc... I think it can be good if the quality you admire helps you strive to better yourself. It is when the material, or physically impossible - for me become what I try to "keep up with" that I feel unfulfilled and jealous.

Does that make sense to anyone?

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"It's one of the most beautiful compensations in life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

I just loved the coffee story, it was great! I try really hard, but sometimes I am jealous of the other mom's who dress great all the time, never have a hair out of place, their makeup is perfect. I barely have time to put makeup on before leaving the house anymore! My dh always asks about what kind of house other people have, if I go to visit or something. I think our house is fine, and we don't have an enormous mortgage payment. But he is really jealous if someone else has a really nice home. I always tell him if he ever decides to get a much larger house, he will have to hire a housekeeper, because I can hardly keep up our house now with a little one running around!

Can I substitute really good quality hot chocolate for the coffee in the cup?

Otherwise, it is a great story, and so true.

This makes great sense to me!

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That makes sense, but it's best if you try not to keep up with them. I know it's easier said than done (i've been there) but i try to remember how lucky i am to have what i have.

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Oh...this is sooo me! We have a perfectly great older house...an extra bedroom for guests and enough of a yard for plants...but sometime I want the vaulted ceilings and plasma tv...or perhaps the foil wallpaper to go away...whatever...then I realize how happy I am to only work part-time and spend lots of time in my humble house with my kiddies!

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Candy