Think Small
March’s theme at Life in Pencil is Beginnings
Posted by Elizabeth
Last week, Maikael and I broke down and bought a new printer. For the past 10 years we’ve struggled through life with an HP Inkjet, which never worked properly from day one. It’s HP’s version of a picky eater who suffers from terrible indigestion: it can only handle being fed a few pieces of paper at a time, and when its system becomes overloaded it belches out page upon page of gibberish. The printer is senile and easily confused; Lord help you if you decide you want to cancel a print job once it’s been sent to the queue. It is loud and slow and, quite frankly, we both hate it.
Now that we are having a baby, we have all sorts of excuses to buy new things. Because our second bedroom is in the process of being converted from an office to a baby’s room, there is a major consolidation of space taking place in our household. The writing desk nestled in the corner of our bedroom will now serve as the new “office,” and because it is in our bedroom I insisted it be a neat, orderly space whose every item plays double duty. Therefore, I decided it was high time to ditch our antiquated printer and scanner and spring for a compact printer that also copies, faxes, and scans.
After conducting hours of research via Consumer Reports, Maikael selected a Canon for the job. When it arrived in the mail, Maikael quickly installed the printer with little effort, and we marveled at its petite frame, digital display, quiet hum, WiFi capabilities, and its God-given ability to print on BOTH sides of the paper. What did this little bundle of joy cost? What did we have to sacrifice for such happiness? $100.
As I giddily printed our tax return, Maikael asked, “Why do we wait so long to change?” It was an excellent question. It’s one thing when it comes to big changes that require major investments in time, money, and emotional energy. But what Maikael was really asking was, “Why do we wait so long to change something that’s so easy to change?” For the cost of a nice dinner out, we could have had a printer years ago that would have made a little corner of our life better. Instead, we suffered through 10 years of inconvenience – not enough to call it a crisis, but enough to be highly irritating a few times a week. I’m not saying that material items buy us happiness, but there are certain small pleasures in life that seem worth the cost. I happen to do a lot of scanning and printing, and I know this modest purchase will improve the flow of my life. Anne recently shared with me that a $90 meat thermometer changed her life in the kitchen in a similar way. It would be a silly purchase if you rarely cooked meat at home, but for someone like Anne who uses this tool at least weekly it has added enjoyment and taken stress out of her sacred time in the kitchen.
This printer seemed emblematic of how we often cope with starting something new in our lives. We struggle or make do in situations that are easily changed for far too long. Why? My guess is that, while these situations are not ideal, they function. They don’t command our immediate attention, so it’s easy to pawn off dealing with them until a future date, when they can be ignored no longer. We put off these small changes, forgetting that they can have a huge impact in the day to day flow of our lives. In other words, it’s easy to focus on the big, boisterous beginnings at the exclusion of the small ones that just whisper to us. Whether it’s investing in a better printer or getting rid of an old meat thermometer that sort-of-works, reducing these everyday annoyances have something significant to offer us as we endeavor to live our lives in the now.
What small beginnings are calling to you in your life right now? Is it a modest purchase? A simple change of routine? A new spin on something old?
What situations, items, routines, or relationships are you currently “making do” with? What things in your life are okay, but ultimately disrupt the flow of your everyday existence?
What do you need to do to enact some of these small beginnings? What’s standing in your way? Is it a matter of needing more time or more money (I find the roadblocks in my life are usually thrown up by one of these two culprits)? Is it as simple as setting aside a few dollars every month in a savings fund for that modest purchase? Or perhaps it’s simply taking the time to do the research and figure out what you really need? Maybe it’s as easy as deciding to make it a priority this month?
March 10th, 2010 at 6:11 am
Such wisdom here, Elizabeth! What you describe is an incredibly accurate reflection of my life. We “get by” with a lot of little irritations until something pushes us over the edge. But I’m not sure why we torture ourselves with waiting.
Oddly enough, we had a very similar situation with the printer. We actually didn’t have one at home for years (used the work printers when needed). When my father in law came to live with us, he was appalled. He asked if he could buy a printer for us. And it has been such a luxury to have!
The other thing that comes to mind: we don’t have a snow thrower. Yes, ridiculous and humorous. We live in Minnesota and have owned our house for 5 winters, but we keep pretending that we’re young and strong and can just shovel the snow. Every spring we comment that we should finally bite the bullet and buy one on clearance. Maybe this is the year??!
March 10th, 2010 at 7:44 am
After sitting on hideously ripped and worn out office chairs for far too long (i.e. years), we finally ordered new ones. They are sitting in their boxes in the living room, having been delivered yesterday. Today, I swear, we’ll set them up!
My worst example was living with an appalling kitchen for 13 years. We had little kids underfoot, not enough money, no energy – and the years just slipped away. I regret that more than I can say.
March 10th, 2010 at 8:40 am
As I’ve confessed here before, I am addicted to making lists. But right now, my lists seem endless and I never take the action I need to start crossing tasks off. Thanks to your post, I am going to take a few minutes now to work on that list. I know the sense of satisfaction I get will be large.
By the way, I think I have the same printer: I love it!
March 10th, 2010 at 8:42 am
Isn’t amazing how many excuses we can have for NOT buying something…and all at the wrong times. Sometimes, money can buy…convenience…which can lead to small pieces of happiness. What’s on my list??
March 10th, 2010 at 8:50 am
Our vaporizer. It is a godsend when either of us is sick. Yet it is also a relic, purchased for $15 at Walgreen’s roughly 10 years ago. IEP has a newer one that lives in his room, doesn’t spit and sputter, doesn’t require chemical alteration to our water for it to work, and is easily cleaned. Cost of IEP’s vaporizer? $40. For $40 I could have the same ease of use for myself, but no.
You’re right, sometimes we overlook the improvement to our lives that are brought about by small but deliberate changes. I’m inspired!
March 10th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
My grandmother’s couch that was handed down to me and there it sit’s as our main piece of furniture. It’s OLD.
I look around and see a lot of stuff like that. The toaster dinosaur and the melted serving spoon… and on and on. One thing at a time maybe?
March 10th, 2010 at 5:17 pm
I think our next step will be to get rid of that old computer and keyboard. It’s too slow and certain keys no longer work. We’ve put up with it for way too long!
March 11th, 2010 at 12:03 am
I need my own space to work. I end up writing where ever. Both my sons have desks and so does my husband.
I write on my bed, on the daybed in my husband office, on the dining room table when it’s not cluttered by my sons’ homework.
My youngest cleaned off his desk and told me I could use his. But I still want my own space. I’m 52 and I think its time.
March 11th, 2010 at 3:11 am
Most people are familiar with this old adage:
“For lack of a nail, a shoe was lost.
For lack of a shoe, a horse was lost.
For lack of a horse, a rider was lost.
For lack of a rider, a battle was lost.
For lack of a battle, the kingdom was lost.
All for the want of a horseshoe nail.”
My uptake on this old tale of woe:
“For lack of a colander, my spaghetti was lost (down the drain).
For lack of spaghetti, my dinner was lost.
For lack of dinner, my temper was lost.
For lack of good temper, my evening was shot!
All for the lack of a colander.”
With thanks to my Scottish heritage, I have used numerous substitutes to serve as a colander – most of which resulted in burned fingers.
(Those indescribable creations are a story in themselves!)
But last week I became the proud new owner of a $7.00 Kitchen Aid colander that I truly wish I had purchased 8 years ago – when they were cheaper!
Why did I wait so long?
I still had the coffee basket for a 5-gallon coffee maker that seemed to work just fine.