Glitter and shine

I'm watching Carnival unfold in its sequinned and glittering splendour. Each costume is expensive, both in terms of time and money.  Each costume represents thousands of dollars and hours for completion. It's worn for two days and then discarded. During those days, though, they are the centre of attention, and they are admired by everyone who sees them.

Looking on, thoughts come to mind of how many things are like those costumes; things on which we expend time and money for a brief experience that doesn't last.  The experience of spending time on our pleasures enriches our lives.  We relax, we expand our way of thinking and we learn new skills.  Sometimes what we learn is temporary- like how to make that special occasion dish that's very finicky but delicious; sometimes it's more long term, like developing knife skills (guess who's been cooking a lot lately?) 😃. Have you got other examples?

But the main idea that I've been toying with is that we can spend lots to reach a goal, and only a tiny portion of the work is seen.  Like the costumes, which can take up to a year to create but are displayed for only a few hours.  It's to our advantage to ensure that what we display to others is always the best, the brightest and the most beautiful that we can.