The Good Stuff.

I had this blog post saved in my files, waiting for a decent time to post. I looked at my friend Laura's blog today, katydiddys, & see she has a post that shares similar thoughts. It's funny when that happens...

Whenever I used to get pretty soaps or lotions for Christmas or a lovely perfume for my birthday, I'd always save using it for a special occasion. I guess a "special occasion" was a rare one because the unused lotions got lost in the back of the linen closet or knocked over & accidentally tossed out with old bottles containing questionable & murky looking liquids. The barely empty perfume bottles would get old & lose that smell they once had, & take on a new fragrance--a not so lovely scent. The soaps would remain unused & get dusty.

I once had a beautiful bathroom with nice towels, lush & pretty ones, so full & soft & new. But, they stayed untouched & kept their proper place as decor, while I used a skinny limp cloth that claimed to be my bath towel.

I used to make special purchases for my art & crafty supplies. I'd stumble upon beautiful papers or expensive trims, but I wouldn't use them right away. I'd save them for a special project that might come up. They eventually got saved too long & got lost in one of the many giant piles in the art studio, only to be bent or crumpled & then become useless for ANY project.

I received a place setting for 4 from my great grandpa several years ago. I packed it away for use on holidays or when special guests gathered in my home. I always forgot about those dishes until AFTER the "special" event happened. They were stacked extremely high up in my cupboard.

One day I questioned myself. Why am I saving the GOOD stuff? Why can't I use the good stuff now?

The answer to those questions did not involve a philosphical answer. I did not have to contemplate until the end of eternity to figure out what to do or why or how. I decided I COULD use the good stuff. And I WOULD use the good stuff. And I DID use the good stuff.

So now, not only does the beautiful china serve its purpose for holidays, but I eat my Lucky Charms from the bowls & serve fish sticks & spaghettios on the plates to my girls.

I use my expensive & pretty lotions when I'm going on a (rare, but not extinct) date with my hubby. But, I also use them if I am going to pick up a few items at the grocery store. And a squirt or two of my sassy perfume is just as appropriate when I make a quick trip to the Dollar Store as it is when I'm attending some social event!

And boy, does it feel good to use the FLUFFY towels!! It's a spa moment every day!

And now, when I sit down to get my craft on, I pull out the fancy trims & expensive papers EVERY time. It is so satisfying creating something truly beautiful without skimping on the mediocre.

Most of the time the stuff that was once good, ended up becoming ruined, destroyed & found useless. Or even forgotten. But when the stuff I saved for "special" occasions got used every day, it made me feel notably exceptional.

Life is too short to save the good stuff.