Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter
Waiting for Christmas
First my electric wok broke. It’s true that it was more than 20 years old and regift from my parents, who already had one when they received it, but still, I hate it when things break. Then, within a week, my blender broke. It was a few months shy of being 20 years old; I know this because it was a wedding present and September will be our 20th wedding anniversary. I’ve worked the blender pretty hard over the years and even replaced the blade a few years back, but it was a great blender and I hate to see it go.
My first instinct, of course, was to rush out and buy replacements. “Finally, I can buy something,” my inner shopper cried. Not so fast. Yes, Bobby really likes my stir-fried shrimp, and yes, Simone is very into making smoothies, but really these aren’t necessities. I don’t stir-fry or blend every day.
Here is the thing: In the blink of an eye it will be my birthday, and my Dad will ask me what I want, and I won’t know what to tell him. Then, three weeks later, the same thing will happen for Christmas. If I don’t tell him, he’ll give me money, which is fine, but not that much fun to unwrap. Or he’ll give me a gift card to a clothing store, and it will be the year I don’t like anything in that store. Plus, I’m always asking my children to practice delayed gratification: “You want that video game? Put it on your Christmas list”.
So I’m waiting. Turns out I can make a pretty decent shrimp stir-fry in my cast-iron skillet, and while she’s waiting for the blender Simone has gotten interested in fruit-infused water. Delayed gratification isn’t about denial; sometimes it opens us up to possibilities we hadn’t considered. So resist, delay, contemplate whether you really need all the stuff you think you need. Even if you decide you do, it’s pretty cool to get out of our ruts. And, fruit infused water is delish.