Picture via RodzillaReviews. Do yourself a favor and read his awsome blog.
I got up early this morning to try to get some work done at the coffee shop. Work. Excuse if I’m LOLing to myself on the inside, because I guess the word is subjective considering I don’t exactly have a “real job” right now. Real job or not, in the world of freelance writing I do take my audio transcribing quite seriously, so much so that I accomplished my day’s task by the bright and inviting hour of 8:30 a.m. Facing the bold and new unfortunatly familiar challenge of a day in which waiting around for call-backs from job applications makes up the majority of my non-writing time, I decided to wander around a nearby Target to kickstart things on an expeditious note. I was getting low on gum, and the new Extra Dessert Delights Sherbert was calling my name, lest my teeth grinding habit start again.
Somewhere between making my way to the siren’s song of the candy aisle and expertly navigating through soccer moms in the produce section, I gave into the temptation of walking through the cereal aisle. Personally, I blame the endcaps. Boisterously displayed $2.99 boxes of some of the latest Kelloggs’ offering – including the new Cinnamon Roll flavor of Frosted Mini-Wheats and the Double Chocolate Krave that rocked the socks of British children before coming over to America — the allure of blowing 20 bucks suddenly became a real possability.
I won’t dramatize what was a very dramatic 10 minute decision-making process, but long story short, I walked out of Target with none of the new cereals. So — just to be clear — this is not a review of the new Honey Bunches of Oats Cereals*. Call it a not-review if you like, but I’m even in this not-review I’m finding a decent enough life lesson to risk sharing.
Patience. It’s a virtue they say, and it’s something that we all seem to struggle with in our consumer based society of on-demand everything. Think about it. We’re used to getting what we want, when we want. And, if we have a particular hobby or interest, we oftentimes buy into the idea that we’re entitled to something because of our “uniqueness” in that hobby or interest. I’m not immune — heck, I’m infected. I’ve been busing around the freelance food and sportswriting scene for the better part of my young adult life, and I’m almost constantly convincing myself its my “job” to be the first to try this product or the first to report this story. It’s o.k. to blow 20 bucks on cereal, I tell myself. It’s work. I do it for football stories as well, always rushing to be the first to get my stories out, sometimes making stupid mistakes in usage or grammer in order to feel like I’ve accomplished something. And you know why I do that, and why I’m seized by the kinds of impulses to buy every new item I see and review it, or write every story that comes into my mind and then market it?
Because I’m not patient. And I’m not patient because I don’t have a sense of trust and faith. Trust in God, certainly. But trust in myself as well.
The new Honey Bunches of Oats cereals made me realize this — as did, I should add, some rather unfortunate email conversations and text message exchanges I’ve been having as of late. Feeling so uneasy about the present economy and job market for writers, I get easilly discouraged and lose that ability to step back and consider the bigger picture. Instead, I buy — or write as it is, everything, with the hope that something gets some one’s attention.
Well, this is me stepping back, and having a little faith. A little faith that when I write my review of the new Honey Bunches of Oats, it’s going to be the best damn review I can make it. It will be witty, insightful, accurate, and obviously freaking amazing. Because as everyone knows, Honey Bunches of Oats is freaking amazing!
(And, hopefully you’ve noticed this post isn’t exactly about Honey Bunches of Oats: see English 101, metaphors).
Patience. Do I have it? Not yet. But slowly, through truth in myself and a little faith in the abilities God has given me, I know I’ll get it soon enough. Then, God willing, I’ll have enough money to blow on all the cereal I want, and do a little good for the world too.
*These cereals, for anyone interested, actually look like they’ll be awesome. They feature ”colliding” flavor clusters of banana and blueberries, as well as strawberries and peaches. Obviously, I’ll review them at some point. As Qui-Gon Jinn said, “patience, my young friend.”
