Finals week has always been particularly hairy for me. Imagine some sort of hybridization of Sasquatch and a Woolly Mammoth roughly the size of Jupiter and you’re beginning to get the picture. This semester is no exception. In the rush to complete assignments and study I’ve eaten out far too often this week because packing a lunch has been put on the backburner. Thankfully, all this horrible eating has taught me a valuable lesson.
A Zipo lighter uses the friction of flint to create sparks which ignite lighter fluid.
Today’s lunch break was when I had my epiphany. I decided I needed something at least marginally healthy to make up for this week’s dietary disaster. Therefore, I made my way to the Jack-In-The-Box on the corner for a salad.
Pulling in, I quickly became discouraged as I beheld the ten-car line waiting in the drive-through. I parked my car and made a trip inside. The line was just as long indoors as out, except instead of cars it was now made up of what appeared to be completely degenerate pre-human hominids wearing mostly flannel and denim.
Finally it was my turn to order. I ordered my salad, paid my dues, and got my number. I was a full 15 orders behind the last that was called out. Disconcerting. At least that is, until my number was called after only a minimal wait.
Here’s what I realized: salads are pre-made.
Some poor minimum-wage-earning kid makes several in the morning so they’re ready to go. All it took the worker was a simple opening of a fridge door and my salad was DONE. I can not express in word nor song the glorious jubilance that filled my soul. Not only was I eating healthier, but I was effectively trimming half an hour off my wait time.
This got me thinking: are there other times when I take two negatives and somehow the combination of the twain becomes a positive? In life we tend to view external forces as a hindrance, yet like friction between two objects creating fire, sometimes these annoyances can actually create a useful tool.
I’d love to hear some feedback on circumstances in your life that have forced you to make unusual decisions but which turned to your benefit.
