Waste not, want not

I like to end the year with light-hearted stories that have no embedded lesson, necessarily.

Growing up in the developing world, we were taught early to appreciate the simple things in life – family, friends, food, clothes, a rare treat of “imported” candy, factory-manufactured toys (we usually made our own using our imaginations), and even water and electricity.

It’s no wonder then that we passed these habits on to our children: to finish everything on their plate, to wear their clothes and shoes for a decent amount of time, play with their toys for more than 20 seconds. If they didn’t waste now, they would need less later. Because “kids in some parts of the world don’t have anything”.

A guilt trip, you might say, since most kids growing up in more developed countries generally haven’t experienced scarcity of the necessities of life. In hindsight, it was probably unfair to expect our children to relate to such hardship. For them, hardship meant not getting a ride to school (rarely), which meant a 15-minute walk. 

Our kids were not spoiled – we were sensible parents. But let’s face it, each child receiving several gifts on Christmas Day just does not compare to receiving one (or none). Moreover, when we opened a gift back then, we treasured it and spent days, months, even years, playing with (or using) it. My young kids, upon receiving a boxed gift, pounced on it, tore off the wrapper, exclaimed at the gift for ten seconds, then set it aside and clambered into the box, chanting “Vroom, vroom, honk, honk!” Actual gift forgotten. We tried giving them empty wrapped boxes the following year. It didn’t work. Bewildered and indignant, they just bawled.

I like to think that those lessons stuck with my children. I, though, have become “selective” in my good habits, especially when I’m not paying attention. The other day I cooked too much of a dish. I carefully stored the leftovers, to consume the next day. But in the next few days, more food was cooked and the leftovers were forgotten. Days later I found the patiently-waiting container. I tossed the once delectable, now-dubious contents into the bin.

Guilty? Certainly! I miserably reminded myself that there were kids on the other side of the world who didn’t have food. When I told one of my sons about this, he gleefully sent me this quote:

In our house, we do not throw away perfectly good food. We put it in a Tupperware container until it goes bad, then we throw it out.

• Author Unknown

This Christmas Day we’ll have dinner, with everyone dressed up (including the turkey). The next day, Leftover Day, we’ll dine again, this time dressed in loose-fitting clothes, so that seconds and thirds can be had, and nothing’s left over!

Email me: bernadette@gogettercoaching.com .