People Who Get It, and the Second Beginning of Resolutions

In my annual Christmas Gift Recap, I errantly omitted the gift that was most appropriate for this blog: Wafflers, meet Belgian Waffles Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath by the ever-wonderful Philosophy. It smells like a Belgeezian waffle, and has a recipe on the front. We will try the recipe, although I am skeptical that anyone other than Papa Peter from Bruges makes a better waffle than we do. Just sayin'.

Anyway, that gift was given to me by Waffle Guy's eldest daughter, and it's pretty darn good proof that she Gets It.

There are others who Get It, too. The 318 Cafe's Matty O'Reilly brilliantly added waffles to the breakfast menu a couple of months back, hereby making him one of my personal heroes. Granted, they're a variation of the Brussels waffle, which is a different beast than the Liege waffle of my longing, but they're delicious nonetheless.

My friends Chris and Jackie decided to broaden my waffle horizons last fall, and gave me a waffle cone maker for my birthday. That was in October, and I've yet to use it, which makes me both an ingrate and a procrastinator.

Nevertheless, they Get It, and I will honor their gift in the new year by obtaining a worthy ice cream maker so that my homemade waffle cones can contain homemade ice cream. It's only right.

Which leads me to Resolution Number 3: Buy an ice cream maker. Use it often. This is highly important stuff. I've tentatively picked out this one from Williams-Sonoma, which I think is a practical and reasonable first ice cream maker. The Guy and I are neither practical nor reasonable when it comes to kitchen gadgets, however, and so we'll see what we end up getting.

While we're on the topic of resolutions, I read a fascinating story in the New York Times today. Apparently, social scientists have begun an exploration into the human tendency to procrastinate when it comes to pleasure. For example, you get a gift certificate to your favorite restaurant as a holiday gift. Why is it that you're so likely to lose the certificate or let it expire?

Reporter John Tierney notes that "Once you start procrastinating pleasure, it can become a self-perpetuating process if you fixate on some imagined nirvana. The longer you wait to open that prize bottle of wine, the more special the occasion has to be."

This made me feel even guiltier for slacking on the cone-making, but it drove home the point. I don't want to deprive myself of joy because I don't make it a priority. I want to taste the waffly goodness right now, today, because my waffle cone maker could be smashed by a meteor tomorrow, and then I'd regret never making the most of what I have. Cliched, but true...

Long story short, buying an ice cream maker and using it often is an important resolution, because it means so much more than just buying an ice cream maker. It means equipping myself to use what I have. It means a commitment to the Waffle Experience, a willingness to explore life's sweetest, richest treasures.

And I think that's a worthy resolution.