The date with my nephew

As a Christmas gift, I gave my niece and nephew each a gift card with a promise that I'd take them out on a date. That's lunch and shopping to spend the amount on the gift card. This is my idea of compromise for gift giving. The most important part of the gift is the time we spend together, which they seem to really appreciate.

On Saturday afternoon, January 9, 2016, I took my nephew out for the shopping date. I had given him a gift card for a book store because he loves reading and that's a love I want to encourage. This book store also sells games and toys, kitchen accessories, notebooks, pens and pencils, musical instruments and many other pretty things.

As we were walking around the store while he was choosing his purchases, I realized these kinds of stores still tempt me tremendously! I really LOVE pens and notebooks and musical instruments and books! So much so that I know I have to stay away from these stores unless I have a specific reason to go in. If I just wander around to have a look-see, I risk coming out of there with bags full of goodies.

For the most part, I don't feel that kind of attraction to stuff in other stores except maybe in furniture and decor stores. Creating a beautiful living environment where I can read, play instruments and write in beautiful notebooks with beautiful pens...

See! That's the temptation speaking right there!

Chances are I'll never get over my love of these things. However, I do know that I don't want to clutter my environment with all of it. I'd rather have a clean and organized home where I have room to live than be surrounded by more pretty things than I can use. Therefore, by not going into these stores to begin with unless I REALLY want to buy something only they sell, I reduce my exposure to temptation.

I'm happy to report that I resisted the temptation. We walked out of there with only my nephew's purchases and 30 cents left over from his gift card.

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