Every year the end of summer finds me in a reflective state of mind. Of course, if you know me, then you know that’s where I live.
With less than a week left I look back on all the plans I had going into summer and lament how little came to fruition. Even in the years when Becky and I spent the summer months painting and installing floors, I always felt like I should have done more.
The question that always plagues my mind is WHY? Where did I go wrong? At the beginning of June it seemed like the opportunities were virtually unlimited, but then reality set in.
Perhaps the greatest reason I don’t get more accomplished is what I alluded to in the first paragraph; I spend a lot of time thinking. I am a very introspective and analytical person. I invest great amounts of time considering options, making decisions, and reevaluating decisions, and I can’t turn that off.
I am not and will never be the person who walks into a store, looks at a row of toasters and then makes a quick purchasing decision. There are so many things to consider:
- How reliable is the Farberware brand? Are they made by the same company that makes the nearly identical, but more expensive Kitchen Aid toasters?
- Are the slots wide enough to accommodate the big slices of Aldi french bread we enjoy? Does Aldi even sell that bread every week?
- Will this toaster stay cool to the touch? How often will it be necessary to touch the outside of a heated toaster?
- What are the online reviews of this product? Are the bad reviews posted by rival companies or toast-haters?
- What color would look best on the kitchen counter? (Which in turn could lead me into rethinking our choice of countertops 5 years ago)
- Would a more versatile toaster oven be a better value even if it is more expensive? (When reminded that we already have a toaster oven I start to wonder about recent advances in toaster oven technologies.)
As you can see, it’s good that I tend to shop stores that never close.
