natural consumer

so does anyone else out there get a little thrill when they have finished a tube of toothpaste, a pack of gum, a tube of lip gloss or skin lotion or a jar of peanut butter (and i am not talking about the feeling you get if you finished the peanut butter in one sitting!)?

this morning i had a few "finishing moments"...it makes me happy that i am almost done with my toothpaste and i will soon get to stand in the bright lights of the supermarket "health care" aisle at the millions of choices that sit before me and spend a few moments picking THE next toothpaste...

oddly this same feeling came over me after i finished the last package of the 8 pack of oatmeal that i have had in the cabinet for over 5 months....again, i have finished something and it is time to go buy more....

as i thought about this while driving to work today, i wondered, do i have that same feeling with everything that i consume...thankful i discovered the answer to that question was no...i don't finish a soda and think -time to get another one, i don't finish my lunch and think-time to get another one---thank goodness or i would be spend my day eating.

i guess there is just something about long term commitment products...when you buy a jar of jelly, you are stuck with it until you are done...i mean, you could buy another, but that is sort of a waste...well maybe you could have 2 jars going at one time, so you won't get bored....but regardless that jar of jelly is there until you

A. finish it
B. throw it out be the date has expired or
C. throw it out because there is something growing in it even though the date has yet to expire

so the joy in finally getting to the point that you can dump to old jelly and try something new is justifiable if you look at it that way.

off to my cabinets and shelves to see what other things are almost out...i think my conditioner is getting close to the buy more stage....

in the end, i realize that i am a consumer and i rather enjoy that part of my life....i wonder if this is an innate human quality or if it is something that is breed into anyone who lives in a capitalistic society?

THOUGHTS? COMMENTS?