I committed the cardinal sin the other day of being responsible and looking at my bank account during the holiday season. It was inevitable that I would do it at some point because as an alleged mature adult, these things require a certain amount of attention so you can spend the money on such idiotic things like mortgage payments, groceries and other real life inevitabilities that keep you functioning in modern day society. As such, I glanced at the listing of spending — mostly on Christmas and holiday expenditures. It’s something we deal with every year and I don’t regret any of my spendings, but to see a bank account dip so fast is distressing. Let’s be honest here. I think we’re on friendly enough terms to admit to each other that November and December are expensive in the vast progression of the year. Not that any other month is expensive because as adults that’s one of the things we have to cope with. It’s just in those two months, money spending comes fast and furious as we search for the right gift and vow to bring together the perfect meal, all in an effort to make the holidays special and memorable. While it goes without saying that we enjoy gifting to our loved ones, it’s also worth reminding us all that the real gift is being with them through this life. It’s better to give than receive, and in most cases that’s correct, but when you receive that perfect gift from a person you are close to, it can demonstrate that person cares enough to do the search in the first place. That within itself is a gift. All of that aside, however, the shock to my bank account and thus to myself was quite the jolt when I looked at it the other day. Not that I’m in danger of going completely broke mind you, but it was enough of a reminder to eye closely our aging oven and stove and to remind both with scathing looks that for yet another year neither is allowed to die on me. Yet, what it really does if you choose to dig down deep enough, is remind us that there are things out there that can lead to a simplicity in life that doesn’t require the spending of money. These simplified modes of entertainment not only leave us unburdened when it comes to the act of spending, but can also achieve a certain gnosis (Greek for knowledge or awareness) providing further insight into a life better lived. Not best lived mind you, but better lived. There are always going to be travails in life that will lead to challenging paths through life, but said life, which appears to spin rapidly out of control at some points, can be slowed to a point of almost better enhancement of the life you’re living. Turning everything off and reading a good book can be one of those blissful distractions that keep us from idly scrolling through our phone or staring at a TV. Taking a meaningful walk, either by yourself or with someone else, can be equally distracting in a good way. There have been walks through Jay C. Hormel Nature Center beneath steel-gray clouds and frigid temps that have done more for my mental wellbeing than any kind of active effort to distract from life’s stresses. In fact, just the other night I couldn’t sleep and found myself on the couch staring out the window at 2 a.m. Nemi joined me on the couch and the two of us just let the time pass to the soundtrack of her soft purr. And the sound of our furnace going off far too often. Can’t wait for the next bill for that. Yes, I stared far too often at my bank account and in reality made mental notes of things I can cut down on when the new year arrives. Sorry, Culver’s. That means fewer trips through the drivethrough. But that’s okay. Sure, there are lamentable decisions I’ll make that require me to miss out on certain things, but when you have a life filled with people you care about and who care about you, that makes you rich enough to carry on with the cutbacks you’ve set for yourself. Still would like to win the lottery, though. I would buy so many eggs. The post The Wide Angle: Slow the rush of the holidays appeared first on Austin Daily Herald.