It's a question of motivation

People are motivated by many things. For some, avoiding negative consequences motivates them. Others need the promise of a reward. Then there are the annoying few that are motivated by seemingly nothing other than the desire to impress.

I am a reward person all the way. I understand rewards. Do crappy thing, get something good. The promise of food, coffee, an upcoming vacation, shopping or a foot rub can pretty much get me to do anything, most of the time. However, there is one reward that trumps anything else. TV, yes, I said it. TV.

TV is very important to me. Thank goodness my husband also grew up in a home that considered TV to be important. I have a Google calendar dedicated entirely to my shows (my husband informed me his mother used to make a TV calendar also and tape it to the fridge...). I know which shows I watch in real time and which I wait to watch online the next day. And I will talk about shows for hours if you'll let me.

I was standing in my kitchen tonight after making delicious mac and cheese. (Feeling a cold coming on I felt I needed some comfort food, translation pasta topped with mounds of melted cheese, cream, and sour cream - topped with bread crumbs). As a direct result of this deliciousness sat a pile of dishes, pots, and cooking utensils. I contemplated leaving them to crust over until tomorrow (a week ago when I didn't want to do the dishes a friend of mine told me "they'll keep"), but then thought, "if I do these dishes now before I even eat, I will get to sit on the couch for the rest of the night and watch TV." The bolt of energy that shot through me is almost embarrassing. The mere flash of an image of being curled up on the couch, cup of tea in hand, cozy blanket draped gently over me while watching The Office, gave me the motivation necessary to get through those dishes. I'm grateful I recognize how pathetic that is. At the same time I just don't care because I have a clean rack and dishes and am, in fact, currently on the couch, cup of tea in hand, and waiting to get this laptop off my lap so I can drape a blanket gently over me. Ah, sweet reward.