I’m going to let you in on a little secret, it is busy in my head. I am a person who wrestles with things. While wrestling can be tedious at times, it often brings me clarity that leads to conviction.
And that is why I’m talking about eggs—not because the price has at least tripled—but because wrestling with whether or not to purchase eggs brought me some additional MJR clarity. The clarity is I did not need to purchase my friend’s beautiful, homegrown, brown eggs—I wanted them.
The conviction came when I realized that even though they were fresh, and I was going to run out, by purchasing them I would want to eat them instead of using up items that I already have in my household.
Now that you know the end of the story, I’ll start at the beginning. I was invited to my friend’s house who lives out of town. I rarely see her, but one of the added perks of a road trip is her “girls” eggs. Every time I crack one open, they bring me joy. They’re beautiful, they’re tasty, they’re nutritious, and they make me think of her. You could say I love them! So it’s easy to understand why I wanted them. Coupled with the eggs I had in my refrigerator were going to run out fairly soon, I was debating whether to purchase them or not.
My husband encouraged me to make the purchase. He said they’re fresh, go for it. Technically they would be an authorized purchase, but I felt uneasy about it and I wasn’t understanding why. I hadn’t wrestled all the way through what my holdup was. On one hand I knew I wanted them and would need some soon. On the other hand, I hadn’t run out yet.
I traveled to see my friend and took her empty egg cartons. I told her I hadn’t decided whether or not I was purchasing eggs. I left without the eggs lamenting “parting is such sweet sorrow!” Nah, actually we had a beautiful visit, and I never thought about the eggs again.
Later I got clarity: if I had purchased the eggs, I would want to eat them. That means I would eat what I prefer over what I already have, (what I need to use up). Because one of my main objectives is resting from my wants, over something I simply prefer, I am glad I didn’t purchase the eggs.
Then I ran out! I went to the store and bought pasty white eggs at an exorbitant price. Ugh! I winced, checked out, and brought my eggs home. My heart still longs for those beautiful brown eggs. Longing only makes the heart grow fonder…
I am grateful that I did not purchase the eggs that day. Wrestling with that choice was pivotal. I’ve had other areas of compromise with this MJR, but I’ve done a better job than most Januarys using up existing food.
There is some sort of amnesia I get: I need to learn the same lessons over and over. I’m glad for MJR. It is the best form of reminder of resting from lesser things, for a greater good (better things). I have loads of gratitude for the food I have, and have had. I am rich because I have so many different options. And hopefully, someday soon, I will have the option of purchasing and devouring my friend’s brown eggs.
Cheers, may all your eggs be brown (or beautifully dyed, well…even pasty white are truly a miracle, nutritious, and tasty!)
PS My daughter said I was being extra by photographing eggs. I am an artist. This is what artists do—create and sometimes play with their food. I still don’t have brown eggs, so I played with a filter and created a pseudo brown egg. Bon appetite!
Uncovered 