SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST
The way I did it.
I used the good stuff.
I carried my Kate Spade bag and wore my tall red suede boots and Chanel N°5 perfume to work. Perhaps all three at the same time was a bit of overkill–the bag is blue and didn’t really match the boots and the rest of the outfit–but it felt like a do-or-die moment. I discovered my special collection decomposing and drying up in my closet. I had been saving these luxury items for a luxurious occasion.
WHY?
What was I waiting for? Who wrote that rule of deferred living: Save the good things for when life is more deserving of them … and why was I following it?
I was so excited when I purchased the boots–I stood dreamily at the checkout, imagining the parties where I would wear them. I won the Kate Spade bag in a raffle at a lady’s luncheon. I remember feeling two inches taller when my name was called, and I walked through a sea of women dressed in their best to retrieve my winnings. The perfume was a gift from a longtime friend, and it was such a special gift. Our normal gift exchange was usually limited to items costing no more than $20.
Perhaps that was why I was saving them. Special items deserve special occasions, right? I was stockpiling a better life instead of wearing my own life. The problem is that my circle of action has become woefully small now that the kids have left the nest. My weekly routine of work, meetings, and going to Aldi and Wal-Mart isn’t likely to change anytime soon. Maybe this is my life.
Unfortunately, my bag, boots, and perfume weren’t my only discoveries. I also found the champagne pink evening gown I purchased for a future formal ball that I never attended. It drooped sadly on the hanger, with straps that had lost their elastic long ago. I found a tube of that iconic Dior Forever Rouge #999 lipstick, which had melted to one side, and a pair of metallic gold Manolo Blahnik high heel sandals. The sandals were surrounded by flakes of gold that had come unglued. Wine may become better with age, but unlike the biblical wedding at Cana, when the good wine kept flowing despite the growing crowd, biblical intervention didn’t keep my good stuff going. I ended up tossing them all into the trash.
At that moment, I realized that waiting for a special occasion quietly assumes that there will be one. I had waited too long; my treasures were now trash. I don’t want to see my collection of fancy scarves and costume jewelry meet the same fate.
My workday outfit didn’t make life extraordinary. It merely reminded me that the life in progress is the one that counts. So I carried my Kate Spade bag and wore my tall red suede boots and Chanel N°5 perfume to work. This was my first step to STOP saving things for a life in my imagination. No violins played. A red carpet wasn’t rolled out. Nothing remarkable happened. But I used the good stuff.
The way I did it. No more saving the best for last.
This is part of what I’m calling Expeditionvision—trying things on purpose and paying attention to what happens. I’m not offering advice or giving instructions. I’m just sharing the way I did it. If there’s something that you’ve been wanting to do—but haven’t—I’d love to hear about it. I’m open to reader suggestions for future experiments.
Field Notes: For Paid Subscribers
Paid subscribers, I’ve added a short field notes section below with what surprised me the most, and what I wouldn’t do the next time.