Complimentary vs. Lazy
Where should the focus be?
I recently discovered that my next door neighbor has the best recipe for homemade granola.
My neighbor and I are on library board together. This month, her 12-year old daughter made granola and sent it with us to share with the board members. I was skeptical at first as I’m not a fan of raisins. The rest — oats, pecans, and chia seeds — were fine. To stay on my neighbor’s good side and because I am trying to persuade the board to adopt a library cat which I will name Curiosity, I tried the questionable granola.
Good thing I was in polite society. One taste of the beautiful goodness and I wanted to grab it all for myself. I munched through library board not listening to statistics or policies or quotes. Instead, I was devising where in the library I could run, build a book fort and hide to eat the entire container of granola before anyone was able to pry it from my granola filled fists. I was vocal enough about the enjoyment, my neighbor sent the rest home with me. You’ll be happy to know I shared with my son. He couldn’t keep his hands out of it either.
Now, the container sits empty and sad on my table.
Surprisingly, my neighbor shared the recipe with me. It’s not a hard recipe. Mix oats, nuts, raisins, and chia seeds. Melt butter, honey, syrup and water. Pour over dry ingredients. Mix well. Bake for a total of 45 minutes but stir every 15 minutes to break up the mixture. Voila! Done and ready to eat.
The problem is, I am lazy.
And there is a girl right next door who already makes this granola superbly well.
This morning, I gave into my laziness. I asked my son for $5. Then I asked the next door neighbor if her daughter would be willing to make me more granola if I paid her. In my defense, I did provide my own oats and pecans. Plus, I changed up the recipe by providing dried cranberries and coconut to take the place of the yucky raisins. With money thrown into the mix, the 12-year old readily agreed to make a new batch of granola for me.
We made the granola deal in the driveway. As the 12-year old went her way, and I went mine, I found myself conflicted about my choice.
Have I surpassed the line of general laziness and entered the land of supreme laziness by hiring out simple granola making?
Or am I boosting a 12-year old’s confidence and self-esteem by hiring her to make something she definitely makes well and will deliver in time for my 3pm snack?
I am conflicted but have decided to table any more consideration of this matter. I will think about it again after 3.
Author’s Note: When trying to hide in the library, always pick the children’s area. Pillows, oversized bricks, books…they are all there to quickly build a defensible fort. Plus, there are checkers which can be used as weapons to chuck at anyone who comes near. Tell the kids in the area you will share your granola and you have innocent-looking, yet conniving, little foot soldiers. They are so cute, adults won’t suspect them until the soldiers go after their ankles and knees. Just make sure you carry out your end of the bargain and share the granola. Those unpredictable 3-footers won’t think twice about turning on you either.
