Tuesday, November 10, 2009

i want it now

It was not the answer I wanted.

I tried to phrase the question in such a way that it was quite clear that I was looking for agreement:

“Would you wait until December THIRD just to save $50 on a phone you really wanted?”

I asked everyone I saw that morning what they would do. And the responses were unanimously in favor of my whim, which meant that I would get the phone today. Yay! I had no choice but to disqualify several responses for a host of reasons; you see, most of those respondents clearly had not quite understood the question. Others were unable to set aside their personal biases about trivial facts like what $50 could buy, how little time there was until December 3rd, etc. etc, blah blah blah.

And yet, it nagged at me a little bit. $50. So I called my cell phone carrier and very nicely explained that I would become eligible for my “new every two” discount in just a few days, and I was so impressed with the super snazzy new phone that had just come out, and I really didn’t want to wait. Couldn’t they pretty please just nudge the date back a teensy wittle bit for me? The customer service person was optimistic, and just had to clear it with her manager, I busied myself preparing the order. When she came back and told me NO, I was chagrined. It was not the answer I wanted.

I moped about this for a while, continuing to pose the hypothetical question to others about what they would do. I sent the query out to my e-mail peeps, just looking for the validation I needed to blow the money and get what I wanted, now.






I like to imagine that the light responses were due to the lateness of the hour on that Friday afternoon, the fact that some sisters were preparing for rock star status while others were – I don’t know – too busy for e-mail? That had to be it, it's not like they suspected that I was going to cave and get what I wanted regardless of their opinions on the matter. But I knew I could count on my big sister MB, who although on the east coast, was, like me, trudging through the tail end of a brutal work week.

A short time later, I thought I saw/hear her saying “Dude, Dec. 3 is NOT that far away. Save the $50 put it towards a nice sushi dinner." something, but I must have been mistaken.

Meanwhile, I was not quite ready to give up on my friends at the cell phone company. I had been a loyal customer of theirs for years, and the renewal date was just a month a few days away! I decided to try a different approach, employing my writing whiles to plead this most desperate case. Perhaps I let it slip that my husband was hinting around that he planned to buy me an iphone for my upcoming birthday. In any case, it worked! They pushed my renewal date back to that very moment, and within moments the fancy new phone was aboard a fed ex truck en route to its rightful place in my palm. Now, can anyone teach me how to use it?

MB responded later that day that she had been well aware I was not going to heed her advice; she referenced this post where I discussed my inability to delay gratification. It made me think of a comment my friend Lizbeth made the other day about an event that we dreaded attending. I said: “I don’t want to go. I’m not going.” She said: “I don’t want to go. But I will, because I’m the oldest and I have to.”

Does our birth order predict our capacity to wait patiently for good things to come?

12 comments:

  1. How weird! Did you click on the link on my blog entry yesterday? It's about that famous "marshmallow experiment" that studies self control and delayed gratification. I have a whole lot to say on the subject, but had decided to not bother because maybe only I cared about it. Well, obviously NOT! I will get to it today!

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  2. Well of course it does! And our birth order also predicts our capacity to wait until we get in the house to tear open the package the good thing is in. Or, in your case, not. Wait until you get in the house that is.

    Which is why we love you, Jacquie. Your "life's too short to drink bad beer", "life's too short to spend it at an event I don't want to go to", "life's too short to wait ONE MONTH for a new phone" attitude. You're an inspiration to all of us middle children. And, in the case of MB, all the eldests, too.

    xxxEllie

    (oh, and p.s. congrats on your new toy!)

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  3. How funny, Rita! I did read your blog last night, but did not click through to the link to that study so I had no idea what you were talking about. I'll meander over later to check it out.

    Ellie, don't even get me started - what's so great about later when there's NOW ?!

    Jacquie

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  4. Jacq, I'm so happy for you that you got your new toy AND saved the $50! Good for you for getting your way (typical youngest child!).

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  5. I going to start calling Jacquie IG. Short for Instant Gratification.

    Nice post, Iggy!

    Ellie

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  6. How to use your new toy? Didn't you read the entire manual before you even unwrapped it, like your dad does?......have fun with it.. mom

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  7. LOL mom, that gene of Dad's was most definitely watered down by the time number six came along. I am of the "open immediately and press all buttons until you figure it out" school of thought. I am most definitely his package-taping protigee, though.

    My new toy is SO awesome! I am smitten.

    Jacquie

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  8. Alas, I'm the eldest, so would never be able to pull off what you did.

    I do love how you played the iphone card. Great work, and happy button pressing!

    beth

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  9. Alas, I'm the eldest, so would never be able to pull off what you did.

    I do love how you played the iphone card. Great work, and happy button pressing!

    beth

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  10. hahahaha, yeah...the youngest. We tend to get our way. I think it's because our older sibs wore our parents down a bit. So...now we're used to it. Good for you and happy playing!

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  11. All I want for Christmas is a responsible big sister...

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  12. I am the youngest. There is no waiting. Not even the pretense of thinking about waiting. And my response to new things is much like my dad's method of putting together all the bicycles on Christmas Eve night. Dump out all the parts, throw away the instructions, and have a hammer handy in case some parts don't fit together easily.

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