Thursday, April 30, 2009

Caviar Taste on a Fish Stick Budget

I've said it before and I'll say it again.
I suffer
I'm not sure if my problem is rare, or wide-spread.

I think most of us have caviar taste, and probably a great deal of us have a fish-stick budget. But I'm not sure how many people actually realize this to be true about themselves. I think its the being aware of the problem that makes it painful.

If I didn't know that I liked nice things, the fish-sticks wouldn't bother me.
If I didn't know that the money would indeed run out if I bought caviar instead of fish-sticks, I could enjoy the caviar without any thought.

Instead, I am fully aware that I want beautiful things, but can only afford "passable" things.

Complications include severe "I wants", indecision, frustration, and multiple opportunities to be reminded that humility is an appropriate cure.

I've heard that a steady diet of fish-sticks lasting well into the years that caviar could be afforded is the BEST way to ensure that the caviar can one day be consumed...most likely by my children.

I gotta find a way to make these "fish-sticks" in my life more interesting. Can you dress up a fish-stick? I know it will never be caviar, but it doesn't have to be soggy and sided with ketchup, right? Maybe we can upgrade to panko breaded? I *think* I deserve it, but then, what do I actually "deserve"? What does anybody deserve? Food for the belly and a home to live in. Anything above Fish-sticks and trailers is a privilege, isn't it? I would do well to remember that.

12 comments:

Heatherlyn said...

Actually, you post some very essential questions to happiness. Because it is difficult sometimes to feel happy with the fish sticks.

I'm fairly certain that few people *deserve* what they have. I've seen plenty of people who have much much more than they deserve and plenty of people who don't have as much as they deserve.

So what we have can't possibly be a correlation between what we deserve is what we get. That's just not the equation of life. I'm not sure why some people end up with really good things that they want and others don't.

Some would say that it is all hard work and planning. And planning and hard work do have something to do with it ... BUT I've seen plenty of people who work hard, very very hard, and plan and still don't have what they really deserve and want. Other people work less hard and end up with better.

As far as I can tell, the way we feel about our life shouldn't have anything to do with whether or not we have what we want. We need to reach down and pul from very deep inside of us to find that satisfaction that cannot come from any material thing around us, a sure knowledge of our eternal destiny.

I don't know any magic for making fish sticks better than they really are. I would just try to keep everything as clean and nice as if it were what I actually wanted and carry myself with a great deal of peace and dignity. And comfort myself with the knowledge that the Savior did not have material things. And I'm no better than He is.

I'm just saying, because I think most people go through exactly what you expressed in your post about having a fish stick budget. And it seems like the caviar budget will never come, or if it does, it will come far too late to actually enjoy it.

It's a good thing that happiness isn't wrapped up in our budgets!

Karen said...

Lucky for me, I have fish stick taste to go along with my fish stick budget.

Kristina P. said...

Does anyone else want salmon right now?

Lara Neves said...

While I know I love caviar and can't ever have it, I don't mind the fish sticks so much until I start comparing them to caviar.

For me, that's the trick. If I'm going to start coveting, then I need to step back and find everything to be grateful for in my own situation, and then I feel much better.

Hartson family said...

Every once in a great while be sure to indulge yourself- but for every day reasons fish sticks are it. Change the sauces, change how you cook 'em, that's just what they are. And by the way, you do deserve it, and it will taste that much better when you treat yourself!

Whitney R said...

I grew up on fish sticks. I like them.

One time, around Christmas my brother took a fish stick and stuck a ornament hanger through it and hung it on our Christmas tree. Amazingly the cat didn't get it. But that fish stick got put away in a box and was put up on the tree for years after wards until one of us said, seriously? This is gross. and threw it away.

Such good memories. Isn't caviar little raw fish? Yucky.. I like my fish cooked.

AW Cake! said...

Pssstt...I'll fill you in on a little secret, if you want. A lot of people live on caviar when they should be eating fish sticks because they have little plastic cards in their wallets. Shocker! I know! The thing is, they'll be eating PB&J before too long. Then we can all cluck and tsk tsk as we shake our fish sticks at them.

Just SO said...

For the longest time I had no problem living on a fish sticks on a fish stick budget but lately I have been REALLY, REALLY tired of fish sticks...and struggling to be happy with them. And I don't know why. I need to figure out why.

J. P. said...

Tarter sauce! (im just sayin)

tiburon said...

I am allergic to fish...

Ironic right? Since my name means "shark" and all...

~ Straight Shooter ~ said...

I understand your feelings Sister~Friend!
Although, I have no advice for it at the moment.
On a different note, the pizza recipe ROCKS!
And, I cracked up when I noticed the live feed said I was from Mustang, OK! I am no where NEAR Mustang!! In fact, I don't even think I know where Mustang is to tell the truth.
I have missed you and your sense of humor.
I will be back to catch up on your life this weekend!
Have a fabulous day.

Unknown said...

I think caviar is way over rated, and fish sticks are okay once in awhile....

But the curious cat in me wonders what you are really talking about, because I doubt you wish you had caviar right now. For me it is the clothes, house, nice car....yadda yadda yadda, it all looks good, but on my budget I am staying where I am! But you know what? I am happy here.