I’ve been saving a particular bottle of wine for the perfect occasion. My dear friend Linda gave it to me two or three Christmases ago, might have been longer. The wine is called STORYTELLER. What a great name for a bottle of wine and so perfect for me. I loved it so much, treasured it really, and because I loved it so much I didn’t want to drink it. I kept thinking I would find just the right time to open it, so it’s been sitting in my little wine rack above my fridge accumulating dust.
But last Sunday our daughter Kaitlin called to say she was popping by. Bill and I are empty nesters now (two still in college), so it’s a treat to have a little unexpected visit from our first born. It was a no-big-deal kind of evening. Ya know, no makeup, yoga pants, and a quick trip to the nearby Mexican restaurant for a bite to eat. Don’t know why but I thought about my STORYTELLER wine. What was I waiting for? What is the perfect moment anyway?
I reached up and pulled it out from the wine rack, dusted it off, lit a couple of candles, and set out my favorite Pinot Noir glasses right next to the bottle to greet Kaitlin when she arrived.
The three of us sipped and talked and laughed, sitting in the living room, legs draped over arms of couches and chairs. And just like that we had created our own little memorable story—the simple companionship of a mom and dad and daughter enjoying a glass of wine on an any-old-Sunday evening, and…it turned out to be the perfect occasion after all.
“Spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good….The impulse to save something good for a better place later is the signal to spend it now.”
Annie Dillard, The Writing Life
Every Christmas my siblings and I (there were 5 of us) would receive one toy and one article of clothing. I would wear my clothing and play with my toy almost immediately, but my sister would save her article of clothing for something special. Sometimes she would outgrow the clothing while she was waiting for that “sometime special”. Even as an adult she would buy things and they would sit in her closet with the tags on until they were out of style. I have always held the idea that life is ephemeral and if you wait for that spcial day, it might never come, so you must make every day special if even for just one moment in that day.
It’s interesting that need to save what we treasure! Thank you for sharing your story!