restore: the affluent lifestyle

Nanna, me (Donene Inch), Aunty Lorna, Grandad, Dad.

why? how? what is it about the affluent life that restores us?

As I mentioned in my previous post, it was Nanna who taught me, by example, about money. And hand in hand with that, lifestyle. Because that is what money, and restoring, are about: how we live our life.

It seems to me, that we when feel that we live with abundance, or - affluence  - that life really is easier. Any ease always restores me, I find.

the dark side of having too much

Just as being poor does not always teach us about how to handle and save money, neither does affluence. I know so many people who grew up always having plenty, never going without, always on the receiving end of getting and having, and have seen that this does not always guarantee a happy nor resouceful life. The downside being kind of like having nothing to look forward to. Or to have to save up for. Or to work for. Saving up for things and working for them, makes us feel good about ourselves.

I am so grateful (thank you Nanna and Mum) that things were not handed to me on a plate whilst I was a child and a teen. That values were what mattered. Which is, of course, the next restore post.

affluence is not at all about money

How did Nanna do it? Create the affluent lifestyle? It was subtle and indefineable. It was not about being "posh" or anything like that, it was an elegance of life. And it was the way of living her life that she had always known. We lived in a very rich area of  Auckland's North Shore. So you would think that my Grandparents' had tons of money. Well, no. Grandad was a product of his time: gambled on the horses, went to "The Club" often, played golf, and was a lawyer. Nanna would get exasperated at his penchant for hard luck stories and vigorously defending people with no money, in court. So there really wasn't tons of spare money floating around. 

We might have eaten off antique silver and linen, but Nanna inherited these. We might have had a good old fashioned English home-cooked meal every night (and this was a much appreciated novelty for me, I might add), but we did not help ourselves to food in between meals. We did have afternoon tea. Sometimes bakery stuff that Dad brought home from work. (I hope his other daughters, my sisters, got some, too) for afternoon tea. 

Part of the affluent lifestyle is that we were expected to pull our weight, and also to act nicely. It so makes life easier, and well, more abundant.

It's little things like this which make life "affluent". I have been looking at this aspect for my restore week. Not at money, but quality of life: true affluence.

look after everything that yOu have

Nanna mended linen and clothes. When our top quality sheets wore out, she would cut them in half, and resew them together so that the thinner middle part now became the outer edges of the sheets, and the thicker outside parts now became the middle. She also sewed up the frayed edges of towels.  

Nanna could sew beautifully. Margaret longed for store-bought clothes, but she had amazing clothes that Nanna had made, for Nanna loved fashion. I loved having home made clothes. And as a very young Mum I made clothes for myself and my two eldest children. Because that's would one did, in my mind, having learnt this from Nanna. I had a sister who was a brilliant seamstress. She couldn't handle my inferior sewing so she offered to sew for us instead. We were so lucky.

Looking nice is one way to be affluent. And it is not expensive. It's the way that you do it. My clothes last, because I look after them. I wash carefully, mend, and if needed, iron. I also hang my clothes out to dry in a way that does not change their shape. Little things do matter. 

we can look nice "on the cheap"

At the moment, my three "new" purchases for spring and summer are from our local hospice:

• a navy dress from Max (my favourite store but generally out of my $ reach) ($6)
• a dark emerald green tee with black spots ($1)
• a longish tee/top, off-white with black squiggly thingeys on it ($1)

They all look good. I learnt long ago (through bitter experience) to just go without if I couldn't find anything that looked good.

When you make yourself look nice, and wear garments that make you feel good, it makes you feel more affluent, more prosperous. And you look it, too. I might add that Nanna was adamant that no one needed a lot of clothes. And that creed has lasted me my whole life. 

For my restore week, I am:

• tidying up my belongings
• being more cautious with money
• looking at my meals to make them more nurturing and having that lovely affluent "feel". I really love old-fashioned meals
• eating off my antique crockery pieces. The plates are so much smaller than today's ones. This is restorative for me as it takes me back to less stressful and very happy times
• I'm thanking the Universe heaps, and just generally focusing on the amazing opportunity to do all of these simple little things that make me feel good

Especially in these strangest of times, and extra especially as millions cannot even have the luxury to contemplate "restoring oneself".

I know that we are lucky here in New Zealand.

I would love to know your own special abundance "things" that you do xx

** you might also like this post about learning about beauty in my teens

** or the abundance of work - again in my teens

** and another post about those magical years

** and not forgetting my yoga blog