Queen of Delayed Gratification

I love movies but I seldom go to the theatres. Content in my jammies and surrounded by my favorite snacks, I typically prefer watching at home. That’s why earlier this month, it was dizzying when I saw three movies in theatres in the span of one week. 

Snacks in hand, I settled in for one of my favorite things about going to the movies—the trailers—and I was reminded of the odd tradition I started, if I had to guess, as a child. The tradition being, I will not touch my food until the movie has started. 

I don’t know why this is a thing, but every time I go to the movies, I wait through the trailers and when the movie starts, I take my first bite. It’s very goofy and serves no purpose… or so I thought. But then I was joking around with some friends—“I’m just the Queen of Delayed Gratification over here”—and I thought about it more

To be clear—I don’t feel I have the moral high ground because I let the popcorn sit on my lap for 15 extra minutes. I think it’s a fascinating quirk because there is next to nothing in my life that I show this level of patience with. 

I’m very go go go. I can be rushed and scatterbrained. I often feel all over the place. And yet in this one hyper specific area in my life, I wait. I play the long game. I don’t rush in. I pause.

It’s a silly thing to be proud of. A thing I don’t even process anymore when I get to the movies because it has become so second nature. But a thing that reminds me how in the midst of my spinning world, I can still be patient.

A good reminder this week to be unafraid to do something differently. A curiosity to see how your brain and your body sit with it.