Why would I buy a pumpkin at the store for $5 when I can drive 50 miles and pay to make my kids walk through a muddy field to pick our own for $27?
That’s the question I saw posed on social media a while back, and if I were the type who wanted to argue on social media (which I don’t), I would’ve had an answer.
The short answer is, your kids will never remember the pumpkin you bought at the store for $5. But they will remember traipsing through the mud to pick the perfect pumpkin, then posing for a picture while struggling to grasp the monster they are so proud to have rescued from the mud while grinning from ear to ear.
Paying for ambiance is worth it – at least in my opinion.
Ambiance is calming, and it comes in many forms – a dimly lit steakhouse, raised arms at a live concert, a cozy cabin in the woods, a coffee shop with soft music and a quiet atmosphere. It can even be the fancy grocery store that offers samples of steak wrapped in bacon and a coffee kiosk on the way out the door.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for being frugal. In fact, I have to be. I shop at ALDI on occasion to save a buck. I buy generic products. I drive a 19 year-old car. When I buy an electronic gadget, I buy older generations. I track down free promotional bank calendars.
Doing all this makes occasional splurges on ambiance all the sweeter. But a person doesn’t always have to pay for it.
Every night, I fall asleep listening to the sound of falling rain or swirling snow in a howling wind as YouTube videos play softly in the background (ironically, I’ve never been one to sleep in silence).
I gather around the fire pit in my backyard with my girlfriend whenever possible. Or we disappear into the woods to sit by the river and a roaring fire. Or we visit Heron Haven, with short walking paths and two chairs in the middle of the woods where we sit and take in the wildlife.
The city I live in (and its surrounding area) has nearly one million residents, according to the 2020 Census. The city feels like it’s bursting at the seams. It wasn’t made for this many people.
All the more reason to disappear into a quiet corner of creation now and then. Luke tells us, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:15 NIV). If even he needed time away, how much more do we?
In a world that feels noisy and cramped, muddy pumpkin fields, fire pits, and chairs in the woods remind us we were made for more than just constant motion. They aren’t luxuries – they’re life’s gentle necessities.
