I don't know about you, but there are some phrases I just don't hear referring to what they were intended to mean. "Put it on the backburner" is one of them. I can't cook much past a bowl of Frosted Flakes, so I guess that might be part of the reason, but I digress.
The real point is that if there's something important, the backburner is no place for it. It could be a relationship (friendship or otherwise), it could something you have to do, or it could be something you really love to do but seem to get distracted from.
Putting your relationships there ends them pretty quickly. If your actions really do speak louder than your words, then you're practically yelling that you have other things that are more demanding than you. Don't get me wrong, you shouldn't spend every minute of every day nurturing every friendship you've ever had -- sometimes it's even okay to leave a friendship behind -- but just remember what you're saying by not saying anything.
If your job gets pushed back, don't expect a raise or promotion anytime soon. Expect to be moved to the mail center. Unless of course you already work in the mail center, then you'll probably end up hand-cleaning the stains out of the carpet. Unless of course you already hand-cleanthe stains out of the carpet...
If your passions lose their priority, they seem to stop bothering you. Your passions want to be a part of your life, but if you don't want anything to do with them, they'll understand and not waste your time.
I hope you're okay with my less than sarcastic rant. I promise I'll be back in top sarcastic form soon.
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no, i am absolutely not okay with your lack of sarcasm. it's completely unacceptable. ; )
ReplyDeleteI don't agree. What about timing? What about wait? I think there are a lot of good reasons to put something, even (if not particularly) a relationship, on the back burner. The point of the metaphor is to imply that you are keeping something warm but have not actually finished cooking it yet. People are constantly changing and sometimes a relationship can be much improved by the way in which you give it time to sit and mature before putting it in a place of priority. A lot more damage can be done by rushing in and getting burnt.
ReplyDeleteSomething can be important yet totally at the wrong time is all I'm saying; then the backburner seems a pretty good place for it. Not ignoring, just putting it on hold. Don't forget Jacob and Rachel - 7 years hard work AND he had to marry her sister first!
I apologise for my less than sarcastic response.