Sometimes all I really need to say to someone is to take a long walk off of a short cliff--but that's not really a need after all, now is it? It's more of a want, right? Today, one of my friends proudly proclaimed that she, a 35 year old woman, "absolutely NEEDs the Katy Perry Shatter nail polish." Really, I kid you not, she unequivocally and absolutely has a bodily need for it. Every morning when I saunter into Starbucks, is it a need or a want that I'm meeting? Does it matter and really, should it?

I suppose with all the terrible catastrophes in the world, all the really serious problems and concerns such as clean running water and having at least some morsels of food in people's bellies, the line between need and want should be clear in our minds. Sadly, though, I suspect there are many people out there, much like me, who have come to group the two entirely different concepts into one big messy pile of greed and gluttony.

Case in point: last week one of my compatriots was showing off her latest purse purchase on Facebook. I couldn't come to terms with these feelings that I was fighting in response to her post, namely, that I too needed something new, something to be excited about. Again, note my use of the word "need." For the life of me, I couldn't shake this feeling that I also wanted to be excited and proud of a new accessory purchase. Armed with this feeling of not knowing how to exactly grapple with these feelings and being able to rationalize just about every purchase in my life, for better or for worse, I immediately had to go out and get those Jimmy Choo sandals I spied just an hour before reading my friend's post. I am a terrible human being, I suspect. Notwithstanding the aforementioned thought, I do realize that something must be done, at least in my little world, to highlight this absolute need to dissect need versus want in my life--at least for the sake of my closet space and my poor husband's mental health.

Admittedly, this has been weighing heavily on my mind all day. I even thought about returning my Choos but alas, I had already taken their tags off and neatly packed them away into my vacation suitcase for tomorrow's trip. Clearly, this was not an option.

On my way into Starbucks this morning, I came across a homeless man who was panhandling outside of the store. I usually spare whatever I can to whoever asks me on the street because part of me really thinks that any small misstep or trouble and that could be me; I could be the one begging for something to eat. This morning, I legitimately didn't have any change and I didn't offer him a dime. Instead, I waltzed right in and grabbed my usual egg white feta wrap and coffee and headed to add my skim milk into the caffeinated goodness. Did I really need this coffee and wrap? Didn't I already have a bunch of oatmeal packets on my desk in case I got hungry? What about all those Luna bars and the various juices in my work's refrigerator? Why did I do this morning ritual when I didn't need it? Right then and there, I resolved to give the man my coffee and wrap.

Much to my chagrin, right when I was coming out to meet with him, another woman had already beaten me to it and was leading him inside of the Starbucks, telling him to order whatever he wanted, her treat. She was the better person--she took care of his immediate need. I was left with this nauseating feeling that I had an opportunity to really do a good deed and that I blew it. Upon final introspection, however, I realize that it was that missed opportunity that has given me the impetus to examine my day to day decisions and to perhaps really question and force myself to try to separate the "need" and "want" in my life.