When I picked up a pack of strawberries at the grocery store, I stood there for a moment and smelled their fresh aromas and examined how beautifully red they were. I could almost taste how juicy and sweet they would be. I even went into the future for a moment in thinking how satisfied I would feel after I ate them on a piece of white cake after dinner, and how much my kids would enjoy them. It made me feel happy.
You know how this story goes. As more things got piled into the refrigerator over the next few days, the strawberries got moved to the back, out of sight. When I rediscovered them, I remembered all the good thoughts I had about them. I pulled them out and to my dismay, I saw that one little rotten guy had gotten the best of the strawberries around him. Half my container had been spoiled! I was so disappointed to throw some of them away, as there was no recovery. If only I had opened them the day I bought them, I would have discovered that one of those berries looked less than stellar; I could have saved the other six before they were tainted.