A Piece of Cake
I had to shake my head at my own folly. I had two errands to run: buy a book and buy a cake. Coincidentally, both were the same price, about C$40. I winced at the cost of one and not the other.
Given my profession and how much I appreciate the value of the written word, you would think I blinked at the cost of the cake.
Nope. I cringed at the cost of the book (hardcover, new release). When, later, I didn’t bat an eye at the cost of the cake (high-end, gourmet bakery), I had to stop and think.
Books used to cost less. But then, so too did food. Did I wince because I didn’t know the quality of the book but I did know the quality of the cake? Was it because I was sharing the cake with others, but the book was all for me? I buy books all the time, but I don’ t buy gourmet cakes every day; was there no novelty?
Ironically, given my distaste of numbers, it was math that finally that made me see the light. This one cake, divided into eight pieces, would satisfy for the equivalent of, let’s say, 80 minutes (10 min of savory joy per person per piece.) But this book, at more than 400 pages, would offer me savory joy of at least eight hours or more! And all for me. 🙂
I loved every bite of the cake, but I’m relishing every hour of entertainment even more.