The
letter for today is: S, where I feature satisfied
and Satsuma.
To
my mind, satisfaction comes after a
job well done. I've washed and bleached my curtains after months of looking at
them and knowing I should attend to the work. The whole process of taking them
down and cleaning the windows put me off. But now, after so much work and
effort, they're hanging over the gleaming windows again.
I
admire them each time I glance over. I'm satisfied.
Now, it's hard to understand why I put the job off for so long.
In
the same way, a bag of Satsuma's
sits on the fruit trolley in my pantry. I eat fruit as the first meal each morning.
Each item must be peeled, cut and deseeded. A Satsuma is the most difficult to prepare. Or maybe I'm too fussy.
Under the peel, white pith sits tight against the fruit segments. I like to
remove the substance rather than eat it. I slide my thumb nail under and ease
as much off as possible. It clings to my nail when I try to flick it off.
Do
you know what? I get more satisfaction
from eating a Satsuma than a slice
of prepared pineapple.
It
would seem the painstaking effort is the very thing that leaves me satisfied.
Perhaps it's knowing that you've taken a fairly Substantial project to completion?
ReplyDeletehttp://bethlapinsatozblog.wordpress.com
Exactly, it's the knowing once you've done the unpleasant hard work that gives the satisfaction at the end. Clean curtains are good to look at but more so after you've spent time to make them so, ditto the satsuma taste.
ReplyDeleteSatsuma . . . a lovely "S" word for today. Perhaps it's the delay, the moment of anticipation or reflection that brings us back to considering the very essence of orange. Or perhaps it's the smell that tantalizes and promises sweet tastes ahead. Either way, Satsuma could be the name of a character, a medieval town in Japan, or even a cafe down on Dauphine Street in New Orleans!
ReplyDeleteFrancene, I totally hear you :) That job we put off for such a long time (I've got a list of those), when we finally get around to it, gives such satisfaction! Like you, I wonder why I didn't do it sooner--the satisfaction was just waiting there for me to make a bit of effort. Why did I keep putting it off? Is it, deep down, a sort of unconscious (subconscious?) desire to delay gratification, to save it for a rainy day? Hmmm... Sounds like me justifying my attachment to procrastination :)
ReplyDeleteAbout the Satsuma: is it the fruit in the picture? If so, it's super common in Mexico, but we call it "mandarina", or mandarin fruit. I'd never heard it called Satsuma, and I always had a hard time describing it to non-Mexicans--maybe the rest of the world knows it by Satsuma :) It's one of my favorite fruits (sadly not available here in Curacao), white pith and seeds and all :)
Talk to me about cleaning my refrigerator. Seriously. Enjoyed this post. Satsumas loomed large in my childhood. My father, as a farm manager, had over 100 trees planted for his boss. Within one year, a hard freeze killed every one of them. The boss went bankrupt and Dad had to find another job. :>(
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my poetry blog. To answer your question about hearts: Yes, I believe those emotions, feelings, do go on. The song Celine Dion sang in Titanic said something like this, didn't it?
I had a satsuma for breakfast this morning. I always have a piece of fresh fruit with yogurt for breakfast. I also took the curtains down last week but I have to admit I took them to the cleaners.
ReplyDeletewonderful post. You enjoy things more when you work for them. Satusmas are worth the effort from picking, peeling, and eating them! Thanks for visiting my blog. I'm glad you found me!
ReplyDeletewww.creatingwordlenik.blogspot.com
Love satsumas! Definitely worth the bit of effort. A job well done is very satisfying. I've done the same thing putting off a project for ages but finally when you get it done it's so nice and leaves you wondering why you waited so long!
ReplyDeleteAnna@Herding Cats & Burning Soup
Is a satsuma a mandarin? We eat them like crazy all winter and avoid colds!
ReplyDeleteHi just stopping in from the A-Z Challenge and signed up as a follower! I love peeling satsumas...crazy huh? And I certainly know about putting off cleaning curtains and windows! Great post!
ReplyDeleteHugs~
That's a good way to put it, Francene. Things we work for are always more valuable than things we're just given. :)
ReplyDeleteYummy...
ReplyDeleteAaah Satsuma! What a wonderful aroma it has and lovely texture and ... Mmmm delicious.
ReplyDeleteFascinating. Never heard of Satsuma before. And totally agree with your "Satisfaction" with your curtains project. Sometimes it's just taking that first step -- knowing that satisfaction will greet you at the end. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteFriends brought me a whole sack of Satsumas a few years ago. I spent several days peeling and enjoying those delcious sweets. A thick-skinned orange is another matter, though. They are a challange to peel - toughies but gooooood as well. I don't mind the time and effort too much!
ReplyDeleteLove Satsuma's. Enjoy! Visiting through the A to Z Challenge. Lovely blog!
ReplyDeleteBest regards,
Donna
Award-winning Children’s Author
Write What Inspires You Blog
The Golden Pathway story book Blog
I must live under a rock, but I've never heard of a Satsuma. I'll have to try them.
ReplyDeleteYou're post reminds me that I need to clean my windows. Why does it all come at once?
It took me a moment to work out what you were referring to as a satsuma. Here there are satsuma plums. I'm glad you had a picture of a mandarin, otherwise I might still be a little confused. :D
ReplyDeleteInternational food references are always great fun :D and eye opening.
Well, I learnt something today :D
Thanks.
Best wishes,
Liz