magazines
Last year I purchased a subscription to Architectural Digest. I love design and the process that goes into creating spaces. Check out my Interiors section for more on that. So my goal was to spend time actually reading each one. Cut to now, and they all but a few have been neatly stacked in a beautiful pile..unread. Perused and skimmed over by friends no doubt but not fully “digested”, no pun intended. In fact, I hate to say it, a few even found their way onto the back of the toilet seat upstairs along with some other wonderful reading material just waiting for the spine to be cracked.
Recently I remembered my goal when the April 2024 issue arrived. I was excited as usual and set it on the kitchen table once again excited to look at it in depth as soon as I got home.
It’s now April 20th around 6:30 am. I couldn’t sleep and came downstairs to heat up some old coffee which I do regularly when I can’t sleep between 4 and 6. As I cuddled up on the couch and reached for my laptop, I noticed the Architectural Digest magazine on the kitchen table. I immediately thought why did I reach for a screen to pass the time and not the magazine when I know I will enjoy it just as much?
It occurred to me, instant gratification, which is something I’m working on this year.
I realized that if I was grabbing my computer, I knew that everything was immediately going to be at my fingertips. I wouldn’t need to spend time turning pages that don’t interest me or be bored for a millisecond while I flip through jewelry ads by Chanel. And as I had this realization, I had a memory. Of being a young girl and getting magazines in the mail like Seventeen or Delias and even going online to request a catalog so that I would receive mail.
The anticipation my sister and I had while waiting on these magazines that we knew we would look at over and over and over again was everything. It taught us patience and how thrilled you could get over little things. The pages would get doggy eared as we showed each other our favorite things for weeks and weeks as we waited patiently for the next issue. It would take our mom months to convince us to throw away just one that was absolutely falling apart.
I realized that now everything that you want at your fingertips is only making me less satisfied. Anticipation is lessened and gratification is quickly dissipating in search of the what’s next.
So I’m here to tell you I gathered up all the AD’s in the house and made a pile and started reading. Starting with the calming home of beautiful Amber Valletta but not before I gladly and slowly flipped through FENDI casa and Hermes ads.
How gratifying.