Saving The Best For When?

Being home during half term not only affords the time with the children, but also gives ample opportunity to watch a bit of trashy daytime television. I'm glad I don't watch it all the time as I think my brain would implode! Although I have to admit, some days vegging in front of the television for half hour is just what I need and I do, on the odd occasion, actually enjoy it.

One short programme today, however, debated and highlighted the need for 'best'. Why exactly do we save things for 'best'?

This is a debate I used to have with Andy on a frequent basis. Usually fuelled by his desire to hoard seven shades of rubbish around the house and my equally contrasting desire to rid the house of all things unnecessary and use the good stuff. I'm of the mindset if it's rubbish, get rid of it, if you haven't used it for six months, get rid of it, if it's ugly, get rid of it, if you're keeping it out of loyalty to somebody who bought it for you but you can't stand the sight of it, get rid of it... you get the gist. I live on the theory that you have one life and although there are factors beyond your control that you just have to settle for, there are the simpler things in life that really don't require the waste of thinking time. For instance, I can never understand why people buy good quality wine glasses, put them away in a cabinet and then drink the majority of the time from some piece of cheap tack they picked up in Argos or Woolworths. If wine is worth drinking - drink it well. Maybe there is more chance the glass will break, but at least it's been broken in joyful use and not left gathering dust for an occasion that might not happen.

So, why do people save things for 'best'? Why are we made to feel guilty if we have something nice? If we want nice things, then why not have them? I'm not implying we need buy everything at top range or adorn ourselves and our homes in designer labels, but just having nice things brings a little more enjoyment to life. And I'm not saying that by using cheap stuff it means you yourself are cheap! I merely mean that it's not a bad thing to sometimes enjoy nice things and to have a few 'guilty' pleasures - providing they're within your financial means and not done in an attitude of ostentation. Maybe it's an attitude more of us need to live by - life's hard enough at the moment - why not take some of the simpler things we have and make them just that little bit better - after all, don't we ALL deserve it?