My mother used to save her good china for a rainy day.
On very special occasions my sister and I were allowed to take it out, being very careful not to chip anything, and set the table.
The dishes are beautiful: cream colored with a thick gold rim around the outer edge of each piece. And as a little kid, when the table was set with that china, I used to think it look fit for a real princess to come and visit.
But most days the china would just sit in the cabinet, unused.
Even on some holidays, it wouldn’t be taken out. My mother was careful with it. So careful that it was probably taken out on three Christmases in my childhood.
I used to wonder what she was saving it for.
What good is china, even beautiful china, if you can never make yourself feel like a princess dining at a royal banquet, and all you can do is stare at it through the glass doors of the china cabinet?
So I have to ask: Are you saving your good china?
What in your life are you putting off for a rainy day? What feels so special that you can’t even enjoy it?
Maybe you also save your good china. Or your good jewelry. But maybe it’s something even more important.
Maybe you’re saving your enjoyment of life for retirement. Perhaps you save what you love to do for the weekend. Or maybe you’re putting off your passions until the time seems right.
It could be said that saving the good china is practical. But the problem with this is that you’re always living for the future, making certain ideas or activities so special that you start to eliminate these good things from your life.
When you put your happiness on a shelf only to be used on special occasions, you may find that it’s not where you thought it was when you want to use it. That’s because happiness is for everyday use. Find a way to include those special things in your life everyday, because every day of your life is precious. There’s no reason that tomorrow should be more golden than today.
So go ahead. Dust off that good china. Wear your diamond necklace. And start enjoying your passions today.
Eventually, whether through my questioning or her own realization, I’m happy to report that my mother decided that the good china should be put to use. Now, she takes it out and uses it regularly – sometimes, even, for no good reason.