What's Really Necessary

I woke up this morning with no voice. Tried to say hello to Snowball the cat and a croak came out. I've been battling a sore throat for a week now and thought I was winning but it caught up with me yesterday. Well played, lingering bacterial infection. Well played.

I went to Urgent Care (Them: Who is your primary care physician? Me: You.) this morning only because I leave for my epic 260-mile Run Across Georgia event this Tuesday and a sore throat and lingering cough is NOT in the game plan. She put me on antibiotics so hopefully I'll get everything cleared up before the start gun goes off at 4 AM on Wednesday. 

I was just in my tiny condo kitchen, cleaning up after some cooking when I went to use a soapy paper towel to wipe off the countertops and thought, "Whoops, I can't do that. Granite." Then I remembered where I was and that I have cheap laminate counter tops. I started at the countertops for a moment and then happily used the soapy towel to shift cauliflower debris into the sink. 

When I moved here, there were certain material things I thought I would miss. Granite counter tops, for example. Barbie's dream home that Blair and I last lived in had a gourmet kitchen to die for, made all the more beautiful by dark granite countertops. I remember looking at the condo I'm in now and being a little depressed by the cheap-looking countertops, a little daily reminder of what I no longer had. 

Guess what? Four months later and couldn't care less. Same thing with the laminate floors. Would hardwoods be nice? Yes. Do I care on a day-to-day basis? Not a bit. Cheaper stuff means less worry over keeping it pristine. 

I bemoaned the loss of my huge kitchen. Turns out the one little surface area I use for chopping veggies is fine. Pull out kitchen drawers? I can reach in and grab a pot just fine. Huge backyard? Never used it. I can run up to Country Park and walk around pretty lakes if I need to be near nature. 

To be sure, there are things I miss.  A garage, a big shower, my gas stovetop. (I SO miss the gas stovetop!) But over all, I find myself very content with smaller, even somewhat shabbier surroundings.

Turns out, a granite countertop is not the secret to happiness in life. Who knew?