Hi, my name is Mandy and I’m spoiled. I’m not going to say I’m spoiled rotten because I don’t think I am. At least, that’s what my mom tells me, and she’s pretty much the authority on these things.
But I am spoiled. Yes, I was fortunate to have a wonderful childhood and the ability to go to a nice university, but more spoiled in that…if I wanted something, I’d mostly just go and get it. Not extravagant items, but if I thought I needed a new sweater, I’d go buy a new sweater. I’m definitely the spender in our household, but never to the point of spending beyond what we can afford. I’ve grown up with the attitude of “Oh, we don’t have that? Life would be easier/better with it? Let’s get it.”
I’m just now realizing how spoiled I really am. I’m used to cooking and eating an enormous variety of dishes. I’m used to going to the farmer’s market that had everything I needed and more, sold to me by the people whose work produced the product I purchase. I’m used to going to the large, beautiful Wegman’s grocery store to pick up supplemental items for that week’s groceries. Wegman’s has an enormous international foods section. A fantastic organic section. Every product needed for the kitchen and home that I could fathom. Maybe if I was feeling particularly impulsive that day, I’d buy a Reese’s cup pack in line at the checkout, but feel guilty about it and split it with Mike.
And if I couldn’t find what I needed at the grocery store, I could just work my way down the strip Wegman’s was located in, including Target, Petsmart, Bed, Bath & Beyond, DSW, Joann Fabrics, Sports Authority, TJ Maxx and many many more stores that would inevitably end my day’s errands.
When I got home, I came home to a nice programmed thermostat that keeps the house my perfect temperature of 71 degrees. I don’t know how our heat works, I just know that it does and a bill comes every month, and we’re toasty throughout the winter even if the prices are ridiculous for gas heat. While I’m cooking dinner that night, Mike will probably turn over the laundry, and all of the clothes, sheets and towels in the house and will be warm and dry before we go to bed.
After dinner, we’ll turn on the TV and watch one of only three or four shows we ever watch but enjoy immensely. That night, we’ll flip the switch to the fan above our heads and climb into our bed, knowing that we’ll stay warm and comfortable throughout the night. We might talk about going out for sushi or going into Philly for a fun night on the town the next day, where we could shop and eat and see friends.
I’ve been spoiled by convenience. I’ve also been spoiled by the fact that usually, if we need something, we’ll just determine if we have enough money for it, then get it if we do.
Transitioning to a world where the same conveniences don’t exist is hard for me. Yes, I can find some of what I’m looking for if I go to multiple stores across town, and I can order some things online. I can survive even though our house is one of two temperatures (boiling hot or freezing cold). I’d be more comfortable with a fan circulating the air at night, but I’m not suffocating without one. I can live without a car and I can live without TV and I can live without the markets that don’t have exactly what I need of everything. I can cook with what I have for a year. I don’t have to go to exotic restaurants with the hottest chefs in town. I don’t need to go to Coruña every week to try something new considering restaurants don’t even open until we’re about ready for bed. I don’t have to go out and buy a new sweater when I think I need one. I can live without my beloved Discount Shoe Warehouse where I’d be left alone to try on any shoe I wanted without pesky salespeople badgering me. I don’t need these things, and certainly others live without them.
It’s just…different. It requires a different mindset. It requires me to set aside frustrations over these things and think about the bigger picture. It also makes me think about how much I never appreciated just how much I had in the States. What I wouldn’t give to have my entire spice and baking cabinets shipped to me…
I’m definitely spoiled. Every time I feel frustration over something not being available to me, I immediately feel guilt. I signed up for a “different” life. I signed up for a world that was guaranteed to not be like South Jersey. I shouldn’t get frustrated over what I should have known was inevitable.
But I do. A lifetime of thinking “Oh, we can just go pick X up” or “Oh, is it cold in here? We should just reset the thermostat so it’s at 71 degrees” is hard to break out of. It’s gotten me thinking “yes, I can live without X, but do I want to?” It’s still too early to tell.
Do you consider yourself spoiled by convenience?
