The last (cheese) straw?

I recently had a revelation over some cheese straws - unlikely I know, but bear with me. I was getting together with girlfriends for a celebratory lunch and everyone had agreed to bring something. No-one had said it out loud, but the unspoken rule also appeared to be that we were to make these things from scratch. On the day, I really couldn’t be bothered, but felt obligated, and normally I would have just done it anyway, feeling a bit grumpy and put upon throughout. However, that day I just decided not to - pure and simple. I brought cheese straws from Sainsburys and I didn’t apologise for the fact I hadn't made them muself. After all, we were there for each other first and foremost - not the food.

It probably sounds tragic but it really was a revelation - instead of baking unwillingly, I used the time to do stuff I actually wanted to do - go the gym and read in the garden. And no-one suffered as a result. They all ate my Sainsburys baked goods, just as they ate all the lovingly crafted homemade stuff. Don't get wrong I really like baking and if I'd been in the mood to do it I would have done it, but I wasn’t so I didn’t. This decision was so un-me, it actually felt transformatory - to decide to just say no, Zammo-style... well, it was a little bit amazing!

I hope that doesn’t sound like I was really rude, but even it does, I just increasingly feel there isn't time to waste doing pointless things. If you substitute "time" in that sentence for "life" - because really that's what time is - then it makes the point even more strongly. There just isn't enough life to waste on unnecessary obligations.