Saturday morning I went to the farmer's market in Williamsville. It's a small market, set at the foot of Spring Street - down by the old red mill. There isn't a lot of produce for sale yet, since it is the beginning of the growing season, but I wanted to go because it makes me feel good to buy locally. And, my friend Nancy called me the night before to remind me that I had promised to go.Nancy is very good for me. She's much more relaxed and easy going even though she juggles a lot of stuff. Here's an perfect example of how we differ:
"Where shall we get coffee?" I asked as she got into my car.
"Well, we could go back to Panera's (where we usually meet for coffee on Saturday mornings), or we could stop in at Coffee Culture at the top of Spring Street, or we could do the drive through at Tim Horton's." Nancy offered all three options."What is your very favorite coffee?" In my head I was chanting : say Tim Horton's, say Tim Horton's, say Tim Horton's.
"I think I really prefer Tim Horton's ... don't you?"
SCORE one for Liz! Another reason why I love Nancy.
"OK" I said. " Let's see how the line is at the drive through and we can decide." Tim Horton's that was on the way to the market is one of the busiest, if not THE busiest Tim Horton's in the area. It's right next to a thruway exit and in a fairly upscale strip mall. Invariably, there is a line.
Nancy gave me a quizzical look.
"What does the size of the line matter? We aren't in a hurry".
I pondered that one for the rest of the day.
To me, the size of the line is the premier question - no matter what. I don't care if I have 2 minutes to live or if I have all the time in the world. I refuse to waste my time in a line.
Nancy, on the other hand, feels that the coffee decision was already made. We agreed about the coffee and there was nothing more to decide. Plus, we didn't have a deadline. I just cannot get my brain around to that point of view.
Which brings me to my poll at the side of this blog. Please answer honestly.
Is there something wrong with me? Am I a product of my over scheduled time? Or, do I need to spend more time in a yoga studio? Will I change my ways when I retire and I have more 'free time'? ( I doubt it). Luckily, Bill and I have the same temperament when it comes to lines and minimizing down time. I'm not sure I was always like this and I can bet you that Bill has influenced me greatly when it comes to "saving time".
But, back to Nancy. The purpose of the trip to the market really wasn't about the vegetables - it was about spending time with Nancy - whether in the car waiting for the large coffee with double cream, or checking out the basil plants. How much time we spent waiting for coffee was completely irrelevant.
So after pondering that mindset the rest of the day I realized that I must make an effort to stop and breathe.
Your kicker line was so you Liz!
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