Wanting to Want

I have a habit of going outside very underdressed during the winter. And as a punishment I get asked, quite frequently, “Aren’t you cold?” The simple answer is, usually, “Yes, and that’s okay!”

I like being cold! At least a little bit cold, for a little bit at a time. Actually that’s not quite true. I like being cold precisely because I don’t like being cold. Or rather, I like being cold because I like wanting to be warm.

A cold glass of water tastes better when you’re thirsty; a park bench more welcoming when you’ve been walking all morning; sleep much more intoxicating when you’re exhausted. Everybody knows this! And yet we act as if we don’t (and I’m no exception here).

One of the downsides of having most of our needs taken care of is that we forget the importance of wanting to want. That it’s possible to have too much of a good thing, for the plain and simple reason that after too much of it the thing is no longer good.