"The Time Has Come," The Walrus Said, "To Talk Of Shallow Things . . ."

One of the great minds of our time once said, “We are living in a material world and I am a material girl.” The other night, I was thinking about the material things that daily give me pleasure and I realized that many of them are under $5. Then I thought, why not write about my favorite products so others can share the joy? (Plus, maybe Target or Trader Joe’s will give me a discount if they hear I’m hawking their wares.) So, without further ado, here are four of my favorite material possessions.

1. Trader Joe’s French Liquid Soap. You know how single women in movies always live in those adorable apartments filled with shabby chic furniture and fresh daisies and pink kitchen utensils? And how they have different coordinating shoes and purses for every single outfit? And how they have successful careers doing darling things like owning children’s bookstores or planning weddings? And how they eat cheeseburgers and entire pints of Ben and Jerry’s all the time, yet never seem to gain any weight? Trader Joe’s French Liquid Soap makes me feel like I am this sort of girl. It comes in three delightful varieties: Lavender, Orange Blossom Honey, and Shea Butter and it is truly the perfect single girl soap. The cute packaging, feminine scents, and fact that it’s made in France say, “I’m stylish and trendy, in a unique and whimsical way that doesn’t look like I care about being stylish and trendy,” but the cheap Trader Joe’s price says, “I’m just a normal, working class girl.” Whenever I wash my hands, I think my hair looks a little like Meg Ryan’s.

2. Annie’s Microwaveable White Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese. At the end of a long day, the last thing I want to do is cook dinner. Annie’s Mac and Cheese comes to my rescue every time. It’s delicious, organic (which somehow makes me feel all right about making my dinner from a packet), and only takes one half a cup of water and three minutes to prepare. You can dress it up with olive oil and parmesan cheese, but it’s great on its own too. Best of all, you can buy a box of five servings for under $3. It’s like a tastier, healthier, and much more sophisticated version of Top Ramen.

3. Method Pink Grapefruit Dishwashing Soap. Who knew that I would grow to feel so passionately about a dishwashing soap? There are three things that I particularly love. First, the bottle is surprisingly aesthetically pleasing. I never thought about bottle design as an art form until I saw the Method bottle. It's the first soap I've been proud to display on my counter. Second, the scent is fresh and light and makes my kitchen smell so clean. Third, the soap is a perfect shade of pink and totally coordinates with the rest of my kitchen.

4. Ghiradelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips. My philosophy has always been: the darker the chocolate, the better the chocolate. That’s why these chocolate chips are so amazing - they’re the perfect combination of sweet and tart. I would feel sort of guilty about eating an entire chocolate bar every day, but have no qualms about consuming mass quantities of these chips because they’re so small (ah, the tricks my mind can play.) They hit the spot whenever I’m craving chocolate and they’re especially delicious at the bottom of a cup of hot chocolate.

Those are my four favorites. Although hand soap and macaroni and cheese are just cheap, material things, they did get me thinking about enjoying life. There are so many daily gifts that I completely miss because I’m discontented about something. I don’t think about the delicious flavor of the perfect chocolate chip or thank God for giving us taste buds because I’m too busy comparing myself to my friends. I don’t stop and take in the wonderful smells that surround me each day because I’m preoccupied with the things that I want and don’t have. It’s amazing that my day is filled with hundreds of gifts to enjoy, yet I still feel sorry for myself or like God owes me something. It’s not only ungrateful; it’s not living in reality.

So go to Target, buy some Method, and take time to stop and smell the dishwashing liquid.