Finding Your Fortune

Amidst the football watching and stuffing oneself with food, it is also a tradition on New Year’s in my husband’s family to pluck a balloon and a fortune cookie off of the Christmas tree.  The balloon contains a dollar for each of the family members.  The fortune cookie contains, of course, your fortune for the year.  Although all the kiddos want is the cookie, I enjoy listening to the messages found inside and find it interesting that so many of us seem to choose ones off the tree that are applicable to our lives.  For instance…mine read….

“You shouldn’t overspend at the moment.   Frugality is important.”

My dear brother-in-law was quick to tell me that this fortune was PERFECT for me.  He ended that with “good luck.”  He didn’t sound hopeful for my ambition of being frugal.

Let’s be honest.  I wasn’t 100% sure that this is the fortune that I wanted.  I know I need to be more frugal and this is the time of year that after all of the holiday spending, my husband gets anxious for us to redo our budget.  I get cranky, once again realizing that 99.87% of our spending is done by me.  I break down and tell him that I can’t stand being responsible anymore and that he needs to be the one to pay the bills and buy all of the necessities.  At which point he agrees but reminds me that he will only buy items on the grocery list (I can live with that) and that our children will have ugly clothes that don’t match (not so much).  Then I remember that I can suck it up and be disciplined – I have done it many times before and that this will be the year that perfect system in which I really don’t have to keep track of things physically (receipts, etc) will be invented while I keep track of our spending and we will pay off all of our debt, meanwhile shopping only sales, increasing our savings, and becoming financially independent.  And then February comes.  The point is, we try, right? 

So as the evening went on, I was sure to tuck away my children’s fortunes in order to ponder over later.  And then when that wasn’t quite enough, I decided to pluck random fortunes that were tossed aside off the floor.

Now is a good time for a new collection or hobby.

Remember three months from this date.  Good things are in store for you.

You are imaginative in using your skills.  Apply this next week.

The current year will give you much happiness.

You will find beauty in ordinary things.  Appreciate this gift.

Use your charm and personality to obtain your wishes.

A cheerful letter or message is on its way to you.

Big dreams will bring you into a profitable venture.

This year your highest priority will be your family.

 

While digging around the floor, I questioned my foolishness.   Why collect fortunes?  Was I just curious?  Was I looking for the one I wanted the most?  Could I just find my fortune? 

And while reading and rereading these, I realized the supreme brilliance behind the Wise Fortune Cookie Fortune Teller (you know, the one that you have to make a two week journey up the side of the mountain in a torrential storm to visit).  Every fortune I read (almost) could absolutely apply to me.  Could inspire me.  Could make me wonder.  Could light a little spark in my heart.  What if I want them all?  Was it possible?  Certainly!  I just eat all the cookies off all the tree….that makes them all “mine” and I am then worthy of having all of these blessings, right?

Of that I am not certain.  What I am certain of though is the way that you can indeed find your fortune.  You can seek and find the goodness you desire in your life.  Maybe not exactly the way you’d like, but I have lived enough years to know that there is no reason whatsoever that you can’t grab on to a mantra, a desire, a goal, a fortune, a word even that YOU choose to shape your future.  So much hope in that idea.