Don’t Save the Best for Last

I have a new New Year’s resolution. I have dusted off the old ones- related to weight loss and increased exercise- they are always easy to make, though not to follow. I now have a new one. Saving the best for last has been a pattern of mine that I plan to change.

At meals I often save the best for last. If I cut up my steak and there’s a particularly juicy-looking piece, I put it aside, and eat the rest first. When having a fruit salad, I eat the smaller and less appealing pieces first, and then the luscious piece of strawberry or melon at the end.

When I read the newspaper, if there are several articles I want to read, I leave the one I am most interested in for last. I read what I think I should be up-to-date on first—about the latest political wrangle, or latest atrocity in a part of the world that’s far away. And then I read the story about a politician or issue I have strong feelings (positive and negative) about. This is followed by the op-ed page, and I begin anticipating one of my favorite pieces- the daily crossword puzzle. I save that for last, after my reading is completed.

In COVID time, when my trips outside of home have become less frequent, I do the smaller household tasks, with not much payoff, at home first.  I leave the outside trips that I enjoy more, food shopping or bus rides to visit a friend or museum, for later in the day. I follow public health guidelines regarding masks and social distancing, I feel I am protected from transmission, and I am eager for these outings.

I have a few friends I enjoy talking with. When I plan to call them, usually in the evening, I will wait until I finish any needed tasks- whether it be cleaning up after dinner or looking through the mail.

Why do I do this? Maybe I enjoy the anticipation of something to look forward to, so I extend the anticipatory time by delaying having what is most desirable. Also, in terms of tasks, if I get the little things out of the way, then I have the rest of the time for the ones I enjoy more, and I believe I can do them with no time limitation. Maybe I also believe that old Frank Sinatra song The Best is Yet To Come.

But I know, and often admire, others who act differently. They start their meal with the best piece of a dish, they look briefly at the front page of the newspaper and go directly to what really interests them, and they do the tasks they care most about first- leaving the less desirable ones for later.

And then there are the bigger things in life, like trips to visit friends and family, or places that have been on my To Do list since I retired. While COVID has interfered with our ability to do those kinds of things, we should all be vaccinated in 2021, and those trips will be possible again. It’s time for me to review that list and prioritize my plans.

I now find that saving the best for last may no longer be the best strategy for me. When I get to the end of the meal, I may feel full, and not enjoy that tasty morsel as much as I had anticipated. After reading all the parts of the paper that I think I should be informed about, sometimes I feel so depressed and hopeless that my energy has declined and I skip the puzzle. And when I put off tasks I am most interested in doing, whether it’s a trip outside of my home or a call with a beloved friend—I sometimes find that I have run out of energy—and don’t do it.

My resolution is that I will change my ways and go for the most pleasurable first. Why not? Perhaps the best can be now— and it is up to me to choose to make it that way.