Recently I actually had a waffle for breakfast and needed the syrup. A waffle is quite unusual for me to eat at home – well, honestly, ever – as I work fairly diligently to fuel myself in the morning for the day ahead. Getting up between 4 and 5 and having Zoom meetings with my European colleagues regularly between 4:00 and 8:00am has convinced me I need loads of good stuff in the morning.
But back to the syrup – when I pulled out the Mrs. Butterworth’s, I was reminded of the year and a half of bad syrup we suffered through when we first moved into our home. We inadvertently purchased a “lesser” brand and it took us that long to use up the entire bottle before I finally purchased our much preferred Mrs. Butterworth’s. Why I didn’t just go get M4s. Butterworth’s and throw away the other bottle is a mystery – except that after living in Arica and working in Haiti, I just can’t bring myself to waste any food.
But as these little events in life often trigger a much deeper thought, my choice to put up with the “lesser” syrup caused me to think about putting up with “lesser” things in my life in general. How many times have I held on to the bad syrup – kept something I needed to let go of or change to make my life better? How many times have I chosen negative over positive that does me and others harm? How many times have I embraced mediocrity in my life because I chose not to expend energy, time or money to grow and improve?
At this stage of life, when jobs are no longer demanding, schedules are more relaxed and we have the luxury of time, I find myself thinking on a regular basis about continuing to pursue excellence in my life choices. I may not have deadlines anymore, may not have a demanding supervisor standing over my shoulder, and may not even have a great motivation to be productive. Life is sweet and gentle many days, and less aggressively pursued…and I rather like it like that.
But I don’t want to be so comfortable that I forget that I still want Mrs. Butterworth’s. I still want to ask the best of myself – and I ask myself if I’m sitting on the sidelines or in the middle of the fray. Am I settling, allowing myself to fall into a lethargic coma where I’m satisfied with a lesser version of life?
While my life experience has had lots of ups and downs, as most people experience, I have not been confronted with the major evils of the world – wars, famine, devastation, overwhelming circumstances of life that can destroy a person. I cannot comprehend the courage so many today and in the past have displayed in how they sacrificed in their fight for good, but I do know that I want to be as courageous and bold in my life as I am able – to ask the hard questions, respond to the challenges with wisdom, to confront the evils around me, and to work fervently to bless those around with the God’s goodness and love. Mrs. Butterworth’s is still asking me to keep her on my table.
Don't Waste Your Retirement 