Ice Cream and Books: A Study in Delayed Gratification

I revisited an old topic of reflection the other day, but with some new observations.

My dad gave me three $2 gift certificates to Baskin Robbins a couple of years ago. Probably 3 years ago. Cherries Jubilee is probably my favorite of their 31 flavors so I had decided that I would use the $6 to get a hand-packed quart. But whenever I think about trading in the little pieces of paper for the yummy goodness, I always think to myself "I should wait to use them until I really really have a craving that won't go away" and so I haven't used them yet. It's not like it's impossible for me to spend my own $6 on a quart at any other time, so why have I put it off for so long? It seems ridiculous.

My former boss gave me a gift certificate to Applebees (located next door to the studio) at least 6 months ago, maybe longer, and I still haven't used it. The reason? Whenever I consider using it I hesitate and think "well, there might be another day when I'm starving when I'm at work but find myself without the cash" and so I never use it. Now I don't even work there anymore.

When my roommate pointed out my irrational approach to my ice cream certificates, I realized that this mentality spills over into my reading patterns as well. If I'm really enjoying a book, I like to savor it by reading it slowly. I want to devour it quickly so I can enjoy the conclusion and feel the satisfaction of having consumed the contents, but I also don't want to have to stop reading the book. The result is a stack of books that I love but haven't finished.
And I'm really dragging my feet on "The Children of Men." For the most part, I've limited my reading time to the bus rides to and from work. Not a lot of time, so I don't cover much ground.
I'm savoring it. It's a delicious book.

I think this also applies to movies. There are a bunch of movies that I either own or have recorded on DVR that I want to see, but I find myself thinking "well, I really want to see it but maybe there will be a better time for me to enjoy it" or "I want to watch it now, but it will be more fun to watch it with (insert name)."

So here I am, unsatisfied - but I'm also strangely satisfied because I'm justified in my choice of delayed gratification.