I’m not going to judge you.
But I want you to be honest with me.
Are you still eating Thanksgiving leftovers?
I’m jealous if you are. I spent Thanksgiving in a non-traditional place, so I ate non-traditional food and missed out on one of my favorite traditions: eating leftovers for as many days as they last.
Don’t balk at that statement. I’m not a gross person. I just know a good financial choice when it is sitting in my fridge.
Dear free home-cooked food, I will eat you forever. Amen.
I don’t get sick of the same meal. If it is in my kitchen and delicious, I’m not upset with eating it for lunch and dinner. And lunch and dinner the next day.
I like leftovers.
When something is really good the first time, I’m the queen of sitting at that same table, day after day.
But here’s the truth: in everything but Thanksgiving, leftovers are actually expensive.
Costly, even.
If I sit down and read the same Bible verse day after day, because it spoke to my moment on a Tuesday, how much am I miss the next Monday by expecting that same verse to do the same thing?
Not that you can’t read a Bible verse more than once in your life, but…
you can’t expect the same meal to feed you over. and. over.
And it extends farther than that. To relationships. To your creative craft. To anything that you can do really well once and try to replicate.
We can be honest. Leftovers are good, but the original meal is the win. But for some reason, I find myself trying to repeat a good thing instead of risk and create something new.
I’m not going to tie on a bow on this one. That’s your job. It’s Christmas time, after all. But I just want to leave you with one more post-Thanksgiving question:
Where are you settling for leftovers?
by Annie, AnnieBlogs
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I think I am settling for leftovers right now in my friends. I don’t have many of them, so my way to rectify that is to keep from doing anything that might make them not like me as much which really ends up meaning distancing myself because I don’t want to take too much of their time or too much of their love. Which I guess means I am trying to get their leftover friednship after they are done being friends with everyone else. This is a really timely post, as I realized recently that distancing myself from my friends has amde me even more lonely, and I have begun to flirt with anorexia. It is not really disordered eating yet though, mostly just waiting maybe an extra hour before I grab lunch or something just to feel the hunger pain a little longer to distract me from other things…but I guess if I don’t find a new way to rectify the leftover friedn situation that it could very well become bad. Thanks for the reminder 🙂
Annie, girl, I remember the first time I ever visited your blog and read that you loved waffles with peanut butter. I knew you were a woman after my own heart then and here you are writing about leftovers and winning me all over again. You speak my language and put it in a to-go box of truth. I can’t wait to see your sweet face again and hug your neck southern style!!
I do love leftovers too! I can make a casserole out of anything! Unfortunately, I find myself settling for leftovers more than just food…and I know that is not what He would want for me.
I think my leftovers are the way I care for my family..you know it’s the whole mom syndrome right? We care for, spend, on, and love on everyone else and then we give ourselves the tiny bit of anything that’s leftover…that’s me…i need to work on that!
Wow…this is so good. Especially the part about loving Thanksgiving leftovers as long as they last! : )
Seriously, though, I needed to read about leftovers…so many times I want to replicate what the Lord did sweetly the day before, or the day before that…when what He wants is a NEW thing in my life.
Good, good post!
I had to laugh. My kids and I went to a church potluck for our Thanksgiving meal. The potluck was from 12-2, so when dinner time rolled around later that evening, we were hungry again, but had no leftovers! We ended up having frozen pizza on Thanksgiving night!
But of course, that is not really the point of your post. Where am I settling for leftovers? Right now, I think that would be in my work. I am going to retire at the end of the academic year, and I know this year I am coasting on what I already know how to do. I’m not growing or trying new things. Your post has inspired me to give my very best for the rest of this year. A needed kick in the you know what. Thank you so much!
I have to push thru my phobia of change to keep my leftover’s at bay. I am not 100% effective at this, yet; but, I keep pushing myself out of my comfort zone. 🙂
Thanks for the inspiring post, Annie.
First the food. We didn’t cook at our house and brought home a small pan of leftovers, but they are long gone. makes me want to go get a turkey, lol!
As for me, I believe I settle for leftovers in my relationship with God. He wants to give me something fresh and new everyday, but I would rather just continue chewing on something that may have been relevant for my life yesterday, and He has something that is relevant today, He’s just waiting for me to ask.
Very thought provoking!
Bernice
http://livingthebalancedlife.com/2010/afraid-to-let-people-in/
Thanks, Annie, for getting me thinking…I absolutely struggle with trying to survive on leftovers…a meaningful quiet time with God last week…a meaningful convesation with my husband last month…a clever piece of writing last year. I don’t know if it’s just exhaustion or laziness (depending on the day) that leads me to think there isn’t something more, something new to feed me today. Or perhaps it’s fear that drives me to cling to good things of the past in case I prusue it in the present and am left dissapointed. Either way…I know you’re absolutely right: leftovers should be reserved to Thanksgiving feasts alone.
Thanks for the leftover reminders, Annie. Good for Thanksgiving, but not so good fostepping out with new changes. I am so the girl who orders the same thing on the menu every time. Don’t want to risk it, but there’s a time for change. 😉
Awesome post. Food for thought… 😉 Sorry, I had to!
Blessings,
Andrea
Wow. Your question just stabbed me in my heart.