Holding on to My Cherry Pie Too Tightly

When I was first dating my wife, we had a funny exchange that reminded me of our tendency to hold on to the things we value too tightly.

We got home from dinner, and there was one piece of cherry pie left. My wife immediately grabbed a plate, fork, the cherry pie, and turned to go into the living room… when I stopped her and asked if I could have the last piece 🙂

You could cut the tension in the room with a knife. I made a strong case. My wife had eaten the entire cherry pie by herself, and I hadn’t even had one piece yet. There was a part of her that wanted to be kind, giving, and generous. But on the other hand, she really wanted that last piece. Cherry pie was her favorite.

She reluctantly handed over the slice of cherry pie, and I grabbed my own fork and turned to sit down at the kitchen table. A couple seconds later, however, she grabbed the plate out of my hand and quickly wolfed down the slice of cherry pie in three bites. In less than ten seconds, the pie was gone.

Holding on Too Tightly

It was a funny exchange, but it reminded me of an important life lesson. Often in life, we hold on to the things we value too tightly, and this can lead to problems. Possessions are temporary. They come and go. Hold on to them too tightly, and they will crumble to dust within our grip.

We can even get into trouble when we hold on to people too tightly. People are important, but hold on too tightly, and we try to control the people we are in relationship with. We might think we are doing something good, but the relationship might fail under the pressure.

In general, it’s best to hold on to the things and people in your life with an open hand. Enjoy the blessings you are given, but recognize that both things and people come and go. Don’t sabotage your happiness by holding too tightly to things you can’t control.