Muddling forward into our shared future, let\u2019s have a cuppa and talk about the elephant in the room. Lust.<\/p>\n
Yes, you\u2019ve felt it. Unbidden, from deep in you rises that heady, powerful urge to purchase. New things. Shiny things. Perfect, desirable, cool, promising things. We have an affair with that orgasmic moment of transaction. The Purchase. *sigh*<\/p>\n
This is what gets us into trouble in the first place. It is easy to believe that we\u2019re all immune to the lure of the marketing demons and advertising parasites, yet our houses, garages and storage units are bursting with gadgets and gear that we\u2019ve barely used. We\u2019re cheating on the side with stuff, and it\u2019s an affair we swear off and crawl back to. I\u2019m not pointing any fingers or throwing any stones here, I\u2019m coming clean and asking for help.<\/p>\n
It starts off, as every affair does, innocently. You see it in a picture alongside an article, or as a prop in a film or tv series. Maybe you notice it, maybe you don\u2019t. Then you spot it in another feed or your favourite blog or pinterest board. Oh, here it comes, the momentum is building and it is already too late. You click through. You note the hashtag. You check the site and are appalled at the price, and then all over again at the shipping. You close the window. Swear off but you know you\u2019ll be back.<\/p>\n
Whatever that item is, you DO NOT NEED IT.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t. You just want it.<\/p>\n
A friend and I were talking this week about notebooks (We\u2019re mad for stationery. Don\u2019t judge.) and we\u2019ve both been \u201clooking at\u201d (you know what this is code for) a particular name brand \u2018notebook\u2019 that is actually just a cover that you buy inserts for. The covers are expensive and hard to get. Perfect. They\u2019re also not all that practical for how I live and work. Even better. Plus, they\u2019re made of leather. Watch two committed vegetarians rationalise how this is ok because at least it will be long wearing. Oh dear.<\/p>\n
Why? Why do we sometimes want these name-brand items, no matter what? How does it become, out of nowhere, such an urgent passion? We can drive ourselves almost crazy with the craving, even though we know it can cripple us financially (or send us into a spiral of unmanageable credit card debt).<\/p>\n
I wish I knew how this happens, so I could unhook from it. I feel it *all the time<\/strong>* it is like a constant undercurrent in our culture. Watching a lot less TV does help \u2013 but now the internet is littered with visually driven content \u2013 and these \u2018notebooks\u2019 seem to be everywhere that aspirational images are and nowhere in my mundane, suburban reality. They exotically promise creativity, freedom, and a life unfettered by the necessity to carry anything other than this in your tiny, light bag. Probably you\u2019re too cool for a bag because you\u2019re such a free spirit. You travel so light you just live out of a pocket.<\/p>\n Let me tell you why I\u2019m a tiny bit bitter. It is because I\u2019ve been down this road before. Let me introduce you to The Filofax.<\/p>\n My 20 year old Filofax (almost exactly the same size and concept) is still in perfect condition but now just looks daggy and old-school. So 80s! Yet at the time, it was the same, I burned for a Filofax. Burned. Planned it for so long, shopped around (pre-Internet!). The fact that the card slots in it are US size and none of my cards ever, EVER fit was shaming but I pretended that I didn\u2019t care. I still use it at home to keep all my friends\u2019 addresses in (yes, by hand, on paper!) but I would never carry it around (like we all used to) because it is just too heavy and really it is a back-up for my phone (yes, before there were mobiles!). Even carrying my B5 journal feels bulky and I sometimes see people with kindles smirking at me. I have a little pad of A6ish post-its in the back of the journal and that works really well for any notes on the go, so I know I would never really use this notebook and even so, I STILL WANT ONE.<\/p>\n