On Being Grateful for Expired Food

Today I am Grateful for Expired Miracle Whip

 I decided to make tuna for my lunch this morning. I went to the pantry in our basement and was excited to see a container of Miracle Whip.  As I reached the top of the stairway I thought I would check the date just because. 

"Ugh" was the first thing out of my mouth. The Miracle Whip was expired!  As I tossed it into the trash I paused for a few seconds.

 In those seconds, I was caught off guard with a mindset I do not always embrace. As I stood there I was filled with an overwhelming amount of gratitude.  

 I thought about the fact that it was so great I had noticed the date before making tuna and wasting tuna. I was grateful that I did not get sick from expired food. I was grateful that I had not served the Miracle Whip to anyone else and therefore was worried about them getting sick. I was also grateful that I had the resources and money to have food in a pantry to begin with. It is pretty awesome to be able to walk to my basement and have a few items ahead of when I might need them. I also realized that if this was 2020, it would have been more difficult to get to the store to buy food, and wondered if several items would even be in the store. I was grateful too, that I had more than enough food to be able to choose something else for lunch. 

This morning, I was reminded how grateful I can be for expired food.  

I am not always great about finding gratitude in a moment of frustration, but today was one of those moments that reminded me I am on the right track. While the concept of gratitude is not new, I realize I have not always been intentional about it. Last year, I was reintroduced to the idea of living life through a lens of gratitude with Lainie Rowellś book Evolving with Gratitude and believe that her book has made a difference in how I reflect on life. If you are looking for ways to capture a spirit of gratitude on a more regular basis, check her book and Podcast out. 

Life becomes magical when we consider that there is so much to be grateful and realize that often times, the coolest examples are the ordinary things in life. 


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