Expectations Of Abundance by Maureen Eich VanWalleghan

The notion of abundance has been on my mind. If one believes that they create their own reality then my reality is that I have enough, but my daughter lives in the world of abundance. At times our two worlds collide and I feel as though she does not appreciate all that she has from toys to activities to clothes to having what her heart desires at Christmas.

I grew up with a sense there was not quite enough; that every purchase was a big deal. That asking for things that I wanted was too much. As I an adult I see how much this is a generational issue and I have worked to change my thinking, but at times I still feel resentment when my daughter discards her beautiful things on the floor of her room—abandoned like garbage. Okay a bit dramatic in description, but seeing her beautiful things—things that I very much want her to have—is a trigger for me. I remember being at friends’ homes when I was growing up and having the same sensation: if that “whatever” was mine I would be very careful with the item because it was not easily replaceable.

I realize that I have created my daughter’s sense of abundance. I buy things for her and surprise her for no special reason. I help my mom send gifts that I know my daughter has been admiring. My husband and I make it a priority to make sure that our daughter is involved in activities she really wants to do. And Christmas, well Christmas is magic and when Santa comes to our house he has brought whatever gift my daughter really wanted.

Definitely, I would say that both my husband and I live out our personal desires about what we wish our own childhoods had been like and then pass the fantasy on in our giving to our daughter.

I don’t want to paint the picture that my daughter doesn’t care for her things. She does. The skill of keeping track of her things is well honed. Yesterday she forgot her vest at art class. After she brought her things into the house from the car she let me know that she forgot the vest. She double checks that she has all her things, she’s pretty gentle on her clothes and her toys. It’s really that moment when I come into her room, when chaos reigns and what feels like detritus is all over the floor.

After last time I went into her room and found myself mad, I decided to change my attitude. I don’t want my daughter to appreciate her things because of she feels that everything is finite. I am happy she feels abundance. I want to feel that too. The message I have been saying to myself is that I have an abundance of time, money and everything I want comes to me effortlessly and easy. True or not, I believe the message can in impact how the universe reveals itself to me.

The poverty of the mind is much greater than the poverty of the pocketbook. I am working to create the same attitude in myself that my daughter has, which I am responsible for manifesting. Changing one’s age-old thinking is hard, but I think worth the effort. I am abandoning my poverty thinking for my new mantra, “I live the world of abundance and I have everything I want.”

Tags: abundance, Maureen Eich VanWalleghan, poverty of the mind