In case you're wondering how I ended up with 2 earless bunnies...
Transaction Cleanse or not, sometimes it's hard to fight your natural instincts. Like the talking dog in Pixar's movie "Up" whose attention is instantaneously and thoroughly diverted from what he is saying upon spotting a squirrel, I recently found myself similarly sidetracked. At the time of the incident, I was in a hurry and very much focused on the important task at hand: procuring a gelato to redress a heinous dessert wrong that had been perpetrated against me.
Seriously, have you ever been to a prepaid business lunch/seminar where you were served a main meal but no dessert? Until Friday, I had not. Having failed to even consider that this situation might present itself, I had not packed any sweets from my own rather impressive stash back home. So although I had only 10 minutes before I had to leave for an appointment, my sweet tooth would not allow this to stand, and Siri supported my quest with the news of a gelato place a mere 350 feet away. My "Squirrel!" moment came en route to this place, which required me to walk past an establishment with the sign "50% off Easter candy" out front.
As I mentioned above, I already had an impressive range of dessert options back at home. This included quite a bit of Easter candy: 3 Cadbury caramel eggs, 2 small earless bunnies, and a large bunny with no feet. Consider too the fact that I also had a box and a half of Girl Scout cookies, gingerbread and part of a Yule log in the freezer, and a few pieces of Halloween candy. An inventory of the pantry reads like a story of holiday desserts past. Clearly, I had no business purchasing Easter candy, 50% off or not.
Nevertheless, like the aforementioned talking dog, I snapped to attention at the mere glimpse of this opportunity. And despite my rush, I seriously considered entering the shop to investigate the offer. I'm not sure what happened with the talking dog and his diversion, but at this point my thinking brain took over, I realized what a ridiculous notion this was, and was able to stay the course. Phew! Transaction Cleanse crisis narrowly averted.
And another lesson learned or, perhaps more accurately, relearned. Habits and the circumstances that trigger them die hard. Growing up with an inveterate bargain hunter as a mom, it is ingrained in me to shop sales, to salivate at "50% off!" signs, and to buy in bulk when things are cheap. An exercise like a Transaction Cleanse can be just the pause button needed to prompt the thought "Do I even need or want this?" before an automatic reflex has you outfitted with so much Easter candy that you end up giving it out on Halloween.