Wednesday, January 4, 2012

I Want You, I Need You, Oh Baby, Oh Baby

Today we'll start with a little puzzle. No cheating! What do these three things have in common? We have a bottle of vodka, a sugar-free Red Bull, and headphones. Any guesses? 


These are three things that I don't want unless I don't have them. I bought the bottle of vodka from duty free on my way back from Dubai because every time I passed a store here that sold alcohol all I could think about were the drinks I could make if only I had some alcohol. Alcohol is so expensive here, and I refuse to spend a lot of money it. So when I got it for cheap at duty free I bought it! And I haven't even opened it yet. 

The same goes for the Red Bull. I walk by stores that sell Red Bull everyday, and before I had one sitting in my fridge the temptation to buy one was really high. I just wanted one. So about two months ago I bought one, and it made the desire for it go away just by sitting in the fridge.

Finally, today I wasn't planning to listen to any music on my way to work. It takes me about 50 minutes to walk there, and sometimes I don't wear headphones. It's no big deal. About a quarter of the way to work I happened to notice that I had forgotten my headphones, and all of a sudden it became very important that I listen to music. I knew exactly what song I wanted to listen to at that moment; I knew exactly what I was being denied. I also knew that I didn't really care if I had headphones or not. 

It was weird to feel that immediate shift of wanting, needing, something as soon as I found out I couldn't have it and at the same time, to know that it's not that big of a deal. When I got home I didn't rush to my computer to play THE song that I had so desperately wanted earlier. 

I don't really know if I should blame this on our "meaningless, consumer-driven lives", AKA advertising, or if it's something biological. All I know is just having these things near me soothes my urge to throw a tantrum like a small child. Am I crazy? Does this happen to anyone else?

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(Also, the title comes from here. TTIHAY FTW.)

2 comments:

  1. It's called wanting what you can't have. Trust me, I should know. I been living like this for years now.

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  2. When I quit smoking 30 years ago I carried a pack of cigarettes around in my purse for probably close to a year. I thought the same thing. If I had a craving in the middle of the night and KNEW I couldn't have one, it would make me crazy. Knowing I could have one at anytime, but that I choose at this moment NOT to, was what worked for me! :-) Cheryl

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