Chasing the Leprechaun’s Gold

Well, it’s St. Patrick’s day and you know that means wearing green, drinking green beer, and maybe heading to a parade (like the Dogtown St. Pat’s parade here in St. Louis).

The image that popped into my head when talking with my kids about St. Patrick’s day is the little leprechaun who hides his gold at the end of the rainbow.  As legend has it, people who spy a rainbow often try to follow it to the end in hopes of finding that leprechaun’s gold.  Don’t we all try to do that at one time or another?  We’re always trying to earn more as our cost of living goes up, as healthcare becomes more expensive, and as we take on more work as more and more people are losing jobs.  But, is that what we should be doing?

As someone who is living in a family with only one income at the moment, it’s teaching a good lesson about how to look at what we spend on things.  It forces me to prioritize and budget.  It means that I’m not focused on finding the leprechaun with his pot of gold, I’m now focused on saving money and trying not to touch MY real pot of gold….my savings.

So, if you’re fortunate to have a job, as I am, make sure YOU are the leprechaun today…and guard the pot of gold you already have instead of chasing someone else’s.

Happy St. Pats!