Don’t Save the Best for Last

Where did we learn to save the best for last?  I don’t remember my parents telling me this, but throughout my life I have done just that.  When eating my favorite candies, I eat my least favorites first. I’ll line them up in order of preference, ending with those I love most.  I do this with my dinner plate, too.  I’ll eat the thing I like least, then the next best, and finally my favorites.  After I’m super full of eating all of the broccoli, I’ll only enjoy a small portion of my favorite tomatoes.  I could be filling up on all of my favorites and choking down the broccoli!  I really do like broccoli, or it wouldn’t be on my menu, but you get the drift.

Many years ago, my friend and I hosted a bridal shower for our dear friend, Ann.  We created a beautiful luncheon at Laura’s lovely home.  We planned every beautiful detail, including the menu, and who would cook what. Then Laura said, “You’ll need to bring your china and crystal to supplement mine.”  The world stopped spinning for a moment as I considered transporting my twelve Waterford flutes and goblets and my Lenox china by car the 50 odd miles to her home.  She could see the panic in my eyes before I could respond. 

My Precious

My mom spent a lot of money on those place settings, reserving one of each as gifts for years. Shortly after she started the collection for me, both patterns were discontinued. We both searched every shop and outlet to complete the service for twelve that I wanted. (Contrary to popular belief, eight is not enough.)  I only used them on very special holiday dinners, typically Thanksgiving since I also have Christmas china. I was afraid to risk breaking any of the pieces, and where available, I added a thirteenth to the settings.

Laura only had service for eight, so we had to supplement with mine. She thought it was weird that I was so queasy about my place settings. She used hers at every opportunity.  Laura said she’d rather be in her 80’s with an odd mishmash of pieces remaining in her set and the beautiful memories of the events that they served, than save them for events that rarely come along.  I did end up bringing my crystal and china, and the event was lovely.  Nothing was broken, either. 

Share a Toast

Laura taught me something that day.  I do use my crystal a lot more often, particularly the champagne flutes. We love to greet people at the door with a flute of champagne. Now, I will regularly set the table with the red wine balloons.  My husband likes to use the china occasionally, just because.

Along similar lines, another friend was very close with an elderly couple who lived next door, the Yenni’s. Whenever the Yenni’s had visitors, they’d toast to good friends with their beautiful antique crystal champagne flutes they received at their wedding, decades before.  After the Yenni’s died, my friend bought their flutes from their estate sale.  Now whenever she has friends over, she pours a first drink into the beautiful flutes, and toasts to the Yenni’s.  I love this tradition, don’t you?

Eat Produce at its Peak

Have you ever bought a beautiful fresh tomato from the farmer’s market, only to put it in the bin to be used after you’ve finished the others before they go bad?  You never eat the very best of anything because it has to get in line behind those of lesser quality, in a long line of varying degrees of aging.  So by the time you eat it, it’s the same quality of those that came before. Instead, you could slice that beauty up and eat it with a little salt or make a garden fresh caprese salad. 

Why not eat the very best first? You can use the lesser quality items where they don’t have to shine, such as in a mixture like salsa, or cook them into a sauce or stew.  Roasting tomatoes is an excellent use for fruit that is past it’s prime.  Cooking increases the cancer fighting nutrients in tomatoes.  Seriously!  Check out this article from Cornell University.   Even though the vitamin C diminishes with cooking, the phytochemicals, most notably Lycopene, are substantially increased.  So, go ahead and use those waning tomatoes in pasta sauce! It’s a win-win!

Buy the Best and Wear It!

I had a business associate, Heidi, who always looked amazing.  She bought the most stylish, high quality clothing of any woman I had ever met.  I assumed she was wealthy because of the variety of extraordinary outfits she put together.  She looked prosperous.  One season we just happened to have a number of social events together and I started recognizing variations of these fabulous fashion items.  These items were each something I would have saved for very special occasions if I owned even one.  But there was Heidi with the same 4 or 5 items mixed and matched into various gorgeous ensembles. 

I finally asked her if she shopped by the season.  She admitted that she really didn’t enjoy shopping, but she loved high fashion.  So, she would add a couple of key pieces to her wardrobe at the start of each season and wear the heck out of it all season long.  She’d wear them to every function and outing.  I actually saw this in practice with an amazing pair of black silk gabardine ankle length pants and a cashmere wrap jacket. Just by switching up her blouse, shoes and jewelry, she looked appropriate for a variety of events. Because she bought mostly top-quality classics, she was able to carry basics into the next season and add a few new key fashion items. 

Never Postpone Joy

I, on the other had spent a similar amount on many different less expensive items throughout the year.  The most expensive of these, I saved for very special occasions, and they rarely got worn.  By the time the next big event came along, they were out of style or didn’t fit. Heidi taught me to buy fewer good quality closet staples (preferably on sale), and splurge on one or two key coordinates that I can wear all season and beyond.  She taught me to stop saving the best for later.

For some reason, we are afraid to enjoy the best we have.  We store things away until they’re ruined, diminished, irrelevant, or forgotten.  We postpone our joy only to be disappointed by the damage of time having marched all over it.  Let’s allow ourselves to enjoy our best when they truly are the best.  Eat the fruit at its perfect ripeness. Enjoy that special bottle of champagne at game-night with friends.  In fact, toast to each other with your very best crystal flutes. Take the trip while you can.  Wear the dress now, while it fits and is still in style. Pull out your grandmother’s pearls and improve their luster with each wearing from the oils on your skin.  Make them your signature piece! You can even wear them with one of the Five Favorite Clothing Items Every Woman Needs. Love it all now and don’t save the best for last.

What have you been holding onto that you plan to enjoy more often? Share your story below.