In between meetings today, I’m making strawberry jam. That’s just how I roll. Before I wax too poetically about it, though, let me be candid: it’s an example of multi-tasking, not having work-life balance. While it may seem that I live a relaxed, laid back life enough that I have the time to make jam while still working, it’s a bit of the opposite. The window on local fresh strawberries was closing which meant I had to get the strawberries yesterday, whereby I promptly cleaned and pureed them. Because I hadn’t yet sterilized jars, I threw the jars in the dishwasher on the sanitize cycle overnight. Hence, today I need to carve out about an hour to finish the jam. Thankfully, I do the low-sugar freezer variety of strawberry jam. That means little cooking and easy completion. Plus, I like the taste better so it’s a win-win for me.
So yesterday, after purchasing said strawberries, I headed to the grocery store. Not only did I need the prescribed amount of Sure Jell for the strawberries, I needed to pick up an extra box. Evidently, I had managed to use my extra box sometime during last year’s canning session.
The extra box of Sure Jell is one of my little secrets about making freezer jam. Because I always use a little more fruit and a little less sugar than the recipe calls for, I’m a pretty consistent “jam fail”. My jam nearly almost always turns out way too runny. (Truth be told, I’d rather it be runny than too solid, but that’s me.) My spare box is my insurance policy. If it turns out way too runny (think consistency of soup), I can make a quick fix.
Does it work? Yes. Is it cheating? Probably. Do I care? Nah, I’m not a purist. My extra box of Sure Jell is embodiment that I don’t “make perfect the enemy of the good.” The jam itself turns out fabulous with incredible flavor and no one is ever the wiser that I had to cheat on the recipe. Well, until now of course.
Still, on this Monday early morning after a week off, it does occur to me that just like with the Sure Jell, I’m a bit addicted to life’s little insurance policies. Part of that is being a consultant. A job comes along that is not quite what you were looking for but the hours and money are good? Yep, I’ll take it. Three days of sunshine after rain? I’m invariably mowing on day two vs. day three. Why? I’ll keep day three in my back pocket in case I don’t get it all done.
In the scheme of my life, I like a little cushion. It doesn’t mean I always get it, but I work my own life system enough to build cushion into everything I can so that I’m mostly working with a safety net. I know that sounds amiss from someone who quit a perfectly stable job to go out on their own as a consultant but even that was about cushion. With the hourly commitment I had to make at my old firm, it just didn’t work. I was out of cushion for my real life.
And with all of this insight into my life and the way I operate, I’m also bringing an extra box of Sure Jell into my workweek this week. First, at a very tactical level, the strawberry juice is covered and stored safely in the fridge. I could make the jam tonight or even tomorrow, on easier/slower days. But I definitely have an hour today and getting it off my plate means that the rest of the week will be easier. More significantly? I head into this week with a mixed bag for both the work and life ledgers. For work, I definitely have some catchup to do, but I also did some work last week (during my week off) to prevent an onslaught today. On the life ledger? Well, laundry is definitely a deficit. Like a big, huge deficit. I’m about 4-5 loads behind and with days in the 90s for the next few days, everything is going on the clothesline. There is no way I’m firing up the dryer. But the grass got mowed on Saturday and the house is largely clean(ish). So really, I’m not so far behind that I don’t have a little cushion.
Finally, it isn’t lost on me that it is well and truly finally summer. Glorious, beautiful summer. The season I wait all year for. S.U.M.M.E.R. And this is the time to spend whatever cushion I’ve got. For the next two months, I get to revel in the glory of beautifully long summer days with near-perfect weather (I could do without the 90-degree temperatures) and that part-time life I was dreaming of. This is the payoff for all of those extra hours I worked in February and March or for that intensive cleaning I did the week it rained. It’s time to throw open the shades, let the sunshine in and spend whatever safety net I’ve got until September 1st. But, like that box of Sure Jell, I’ll get more cushion well before I need it. For now? I’m going to enjoy.
The Yuppie Homesteader 