Several years ago, we had almost finished rebuilding our house after the devastation of Hurricane Ivan. When it came time to choose appliances, I let Polly take the lead. To me, a dishwasher is a dishwasher. The only exception was the coffeemaker. I was like a six year old in Toys-R-Us when I saw the coffee maker of my dreams. I am a sucker for unusual gadgets and this particular coffee maker was very unusual.
It was a wall-mounted unit that actually allowed one to choose strength and quantity, then at the push of a button, would grind and compress the beans, finally forcing hot water through the grinds to produce as little as one cup at a time. Incredible! I enjoyed a cup at the urging of an extremely talented salesperson and was sold. I loved it.
Polly, on the other hand, thought I was crazy. She reminded me about how much coffee we drink (not much) and listened skeptically as I used that very fact as my argument for a coffee maker that would brew one cup at a time! “After all,” I pointed out, “we would never drink a whole pot and ‘wastefulness’ is a sin!”
“It’s expensive,” she stated.
“A business necessity,” I countered. “I am, after all, an author. And as slowly as I write, how am I supposed to stay awake without good, strong coffee?”
I’ll spare you the details that include a bit of pouting on my part, but today (in fact, right this very minute) I drink coffee from “my” special coffeemaker!
The only thing I neglected to consider during my quest for this particular appliance was the lack of a waterline existing at its planned location. “No problem,” I was told. “The unit has a water tank that can be filled manually.”
True enough, I still don’t drink much coffee, but it seems like every time I do, I get to see the digital command: FILL WATER TANK.
It turns out that as much as I still like my overpriced coffee maker, the unit itself has become an obvious metaphor for my life. Usually friendly and highly functional, if the water tank is not filled on a daily basis, it becomes a useless item taking up valuable space.
Personally, I find that my own “water tank” is in constant need of attention. My regular devotions, purposeful reading, and quiet time are not luxuries in my life—they are necessary on an every day basis for me to continue becoming the husband, daddy, friend, mentor, and communicator I desire to be.
So my question for you is simple:
1. What actions have you determined are necessities in your life to keep you on track?
What, you may ask, does a marshmallow have to do with parenting? Well, it’s mighty tasty melted with milk chocolate between two graham crackers over an open fire. And certainly, many a fond parent-child memory has been created in the back yard or campground making s’mores and telling spooky stories.…
In this special replay, Joe shares stories from his illustrious music career, including the creation of the hit song ‘Elvira’ and his reflections on the music industry post-COVID.
Tune in to this lively and very fun episode as Bill discusses songwriting—including several songs of which he is most proud and why they were written. He also offers insight into being a creator and communicator and why we need to laugh at ourselves as often as possible!
Merry Christmas, everyone! Well, it’s Christmastime and another year has almost passed us by. I don’t know about you, but every year around this time I always get in a reflective mood. Maybe it’s the approaching New Year, the increased amount of family time, or the fact that I’m always…
In today’s video blog, Andy answers a reader question: What is your parenting advice for single parents? How do you replace a mother or father figure in a child’s life? You can’t 100% replace the presence of another person, but there are proactive things you can do. When Andy’s parents…
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
