#8 – On Delayed Gratification
“Leave some fun for later.”
— Jennifer Bryan at Wedding Reception in Houston
In a conversation about getting a (small!) tattoo
June 27, 2009
Why I Like This:
It’s a reminder to be patient with life. We don’t have to do it all now. I remember when this occurred to me, though maybe not in those words.
I must admit that at times I would view my four growing children as interruptions of my work – domestic and otherwise – until I would remember that they were my work – and pleasure. To view their needs and wants as interruptions interfered with that pleasure.
Anything else I wanted to do could wait. If it was important to me, if I had a passion for it, I’d get to it. If not, then did it really matter?
Now I look back at that time as one of the richest and most fulfilling of my life and wish I had paid more attention and savored each moment more.
Personal Note to Jennifer:
No need to lengthen your “bucket list” because you think you might be doing it all now. Your children have yet to graduate from high school, complete a higher learning degree, establish their own homes or give you grandchildren. Believe me, each of those milestones will present its own challenge. It’s fun to plan ahead, but I have a feeling you won’t find it necessary.
Personal examples:
Not on my list: Africa. When I was a child, I would never have dreamed of living – much less bearing three children – in South Africa. Yet I can’t imagine our lives without the 12 years we spent there.
On my list: Barcelona. I was intrigued by the city in 1992 when it hosted the Summer Olympics. In 2007, we were able to enjoy the city and its sights on the way back from a nostalgic trip to South Africa.
Not on my list: Bangkok, Thailand. With children (and a grandchild!) in this remote land, it’s been moved to the top, with plans to visit in 2010.
On my list: England and Ireland someday. Who knows? It doesn’t hurt to wish. But if the wish gets waylaid, it’ll be okay, because I’ve learned that sometimes the best experiences of life happen while you’re making other plans.
Not on my list: a Tattoo. Does this mean….?
I LOVE it 🙂 I believe your words Cheryl… I had so many plans and even still make them, but as time goes by and God reveals His plans for me, they are always more than I could have imagined and even for the one’s that haven’t/won’t happen it does not make me depressed. It is impossible for me to know what it will be like without my 4 birds in the nest. I know I have groaned over the task of raising them, but I never want to take for granted the happiness and joy I feel in the work. SO thankful for my family! That’s why the tattoo is so symbolic! Hahaha if you are on this earth when Mollie turns 55 and I 80, then you and I will get our canes/wheelchairs and have Mollie drive us over to some ghetto tattoo parlor and laugh at our fun for the day. 🙂
What a picture that makes, Jennifer! According to my calculations, when you’re 80 I’ll be 101.
If you’ve read my “About” page, you’ll learn that I’ll probably live at least until 107, so it’s a date! I wonder if they can tattoo wrinkles?
I’m sure they can make us look good for 80 and 101 year olds 🙂
And…we would have an advantage over a young thing. If they messed up on us, we could just fold the wrinkle over the area and no one would ever know 😉
It’s a date!