“Life is just one damn thing after another.” Whether this quote is attributed to Mark Twain or to the author Elbert Hubbard, no doubt we can all agree! This quote resonates for mortals of all ages. However, I am fearful about living with the notion as long as we are alive, challenges will never cease. I’d like to tone down these events in my later years.
To be perfectly honest, I am always on the lookout for challenges. Because of my history (and probably yours!), I feel ill-suited to placid times. I just know something terrible and unexpected is on the horizon.
Somehow, the title of one of the very first crockpot cookbooks has taken up residence in my psyche. Having suffered so many untoward events, I simply want to fix it and forget it! My goal is to come up with a viable action plan and move on.
Fix It and Forget It, The Cookbook
In 1971, the Rival Company created the overworked housewife’s and working woman’s dream. A newly invented electric ceramic pot was capable of accepting an early morning dump of common ingredients, and by applying low heat for several hours during the day, a quality dinner could magically appear in the evening.
Just a few years later, Phyllis Good, a Mennonite woman from Intercourse, PA, founded a publishing company entitled Good Books which produced volumes on Mennonite themes and cookbooks. Looking to fill a hole in the publishing schedule, she hit on a brilliant idea: she would solicit recipes from women all over the United States to include in her crockpot cookbook to “empower those short on time and short on confidence to prepare delicious food for those who gather around their tables.”
Fix-It and Forget-It cookbooks, have been updated and expanded, and are still going strong. They have been New York Times and Publisher’s Weekly best sellers, with over 14 million copies sold. There must be something to this simple logic.
Applying the Philosophy
In my own life (and in yours, I’m sure), I’ve been subjected to very similar issues reappearing too frequently, just like those dinners we need to cook every night. There are the beloved, but challenging, family members who always take us by surprise with their onerous predicaments. Then there is the ongoing issue of the waning physical self. There is the perpetual push and pull of spending money. And, there is the endless challenge of how to maintain a functional, cozy home with all of its aging components.
The only way to maintain one’s sanity is to face an issue, fix it, and forget it! The idea is to not let recurrent or unexpected challenges ruin the few, precious years that remain. It is time to apply the wisdom which has accumulated in massive amounts through daily living to these everyday dilemmas.
Family Relations
Family challenges are level 10 for me on a scale of difficulty. Early in my retirement, I created a very effective morning routine to provide some clarity about my family members. Prior to this non-negotiable time for reflection and purpose setting, I was ambushed by every untoward event.
As a result, if I receive challenging news from one of “my people,” a pause is always taken – sometimes a pause of over 24+ hours, and slow, deliberate consideration is made about what, if anything, I need to do. Very often, nothing needs to be done other than to offer encouragement.
Personal Appearance
Probably Sixtyandme.com has one of the world’s largest proliferation of posts on aging and beauty. Since our appearances remain quite stable for many decades, it is hard to accept the escalating visual signs of aging. One is always in need of some “new product” to reverse the natural progression.
Although I still can’t quite believe my mirror, I have been guilty of purchasing entirely too many beauty products and feeling badly about my looks. My “fix it and forget it philosophy” has recently gone into high gear.
I found a new hair stylist who 100% gets my wanna-be blonde, somewhat gray/brown hair which is overly subject to humid weather. No need to look elsewhere. I’ve found the right anti-aging creams, eyeliner which accommodates a shaky hand, and under eye concealer which is an overachiever. I will spring for that pricey retinol night product, because it works. I’M DONE!!! I will no longer be seduced by fantasy.
Money Issues
I am still trying to figure out why the pandemic and its supply chain issues have raised prices so drastically several years down the road. Whatever the reasons, real or manufactured by corporate greed, I am not a player. I have accepted that too much money is required for quality purchases, and that most mundane items are poorly made and overpriced.
Restaurants and food have passed through someplace in the netherworld, and all rules of economics have changed. I am primarily a do-it-yourselfer, a re-purposer, and an occasional treat-yourselfer! Money is not spent unless something has a definite practical or soul-worthy need!
Home Economics
Another result of the pandemic has been the elevated value of having a comfortable, quality home. I apply my money logic to all home purchases – Do I really need this? Will it enhance our comfort? Is a repair or upgrade a good or necessary investment? No more cringing at unexpected prices.
Phyllis Good accidentally stumbled upon a universal need in the kitchen. With a change in mindset, we can have the mental equivalent of that delicious warm dinner at the end of a hard day: peace of mind.
How It Affects You:
What do you think about the fix it and forget it mindset? Do you have any tricks to keep challenging situations at bay? What repeated scenarios keep you up at night?
