Let it rest

This thought came to mind when I was making some of the punch I made for Mother's Day and the Bible Study I had here a few days after. It's white grape juice, peach juice and 7-Up with cut-up fruit added to it. I had some older strawberries to use up along with some of the other leftover ingredients, so I cut them up and added them to my drink.

I was tempted to drink it right away because I was thirsty from mowing the lawn, but I remembered when I made the punch before, the longer I let the fruit sit in it, the better it was because more of the juice from the fruit mixed with the other flavors. At a time when it was tempting to just drink it right away, I knew that if I waited a little while and had some patience that it would only taste better.

I use this same concept when I have Frosted Mini-Wheats for breakfast. The cereal tastes better when I pour the milk in and let it soak in a little bit before I eat it. There is a fine line between when it's just soaked enough and when it gets soggy, but it's definitely worth the wait compared to eating it right after I pour the milk on it.

I have also come across this concept with some of the Hello Fresh meals I have been getting/making. A lot of times, after I cook the meat, the recipe says to let it rest. The reason behind this is, according to Google, "if given the time to rest the meat will lose less juice when you cut it and when you eat it the meat will be juicier and tastier." Technically, the meat is cooked and you can eat it, but it will taste a little bit better if you wait.

I'm going to try to think of some non-food references, but this also applies with leftovers. How much better is the spaghetti sauce the next day after it's been sitting in the fridge, after all of the flavors have a chance to sit together? I actually prefer a lot of things the second day. Think about marinating something-the meat sits all day in a sauce and the sauce has a chance to really soak into the meat and make it more flavorful.

I will make a conscious effort to think of some non-food examples of this in the world, but to go deeper with this concept, think of how our culture has lost sight of this. Go through a drive-thru and receive instant food. Text somebody and get an instant response. Ask Google something and receive an immediate answer. Post something on Facebook and get instant feedback. Go on a date with somebody and begin a physical relationship immediately. Get in an argument with somebody and fire back insults as fast as you can before you even realize what you're fighting about.

There is great worth and value in letting something "rest". Younger people don't get this. How about when you receive a text, instead of replying as fast as you can, take some time to figure out what the other person is really saying and consider your response before answering. It's ok-there shouldn't be a time limit. Some people may consider you to be rude if you don't answer right away, but sometimes you can't anyway if you're not available right when they text you. How many times have you quickly read a text and didn't understand what they were saying? But, if you took a moment or two to think about it, then it makes sense. Then, sometimes you don't know what to say back right away. But, once again, if you give it even a few minutes, something comes to mind to reply.

How many times have you thought a certain way about something, but when you take some time to think about it, you change your mind? That should be a reminder to us to not always trust the first thought that comes to mind. There are some things in this world that require quick decisions, but take your time with the things that don't.

I guess this is all about patience. Enjoying the wait, enjoying the journey, enjoying the ride. Having time to really think about things instead of rushing into something. Really taking the time to appreciate each step, each progression, how far you've come...instead of racing to the finish line, whatever that may be.

It can be scary to wait though. Sometimes it feels if you wait too long, you could lose something. You can't be afraid of that. Anything worth having is worth waiting for. To make sure. Sometimes you can ruin things by rushing into them. Because there isn't any depth. There's no foundation, nothing to stand on-like a castle built from sand.

It's tempting to be impatient in a relationship. You have this idea of how the other person should act if they really like you, etc. and if they don't, you get mad or frustrated. You have to let the other person be themselves. You can't be them. What would be the point of that? You're two different people-take the time to get to know them, to build something. If it's real, there's nothing to worry about. If it's not, then that's okay too.

This kind of went in a direction all of it's own, but I guess that's the point I was trying to make anyway. Don't be afraid to let it rest. It will be worth it in the end. You have very little to lose and so much to gain.