A Time and a Place
"Context matters," as I often say. Sure, it's easy (and fun) to paint everything with a broad brush and portray everything as concrete and definitive, but that's a lazy approach.
Do you use DoorDash? DoorDash gets a terrible rap. First, we're too lazy to make our own food. And now, we're too lazy to pick up the food we're going to eat because we're too lazy to cook in the first place?!?! And we're going to pay an arm and a leg for the privilege of doing so?!?!
Context matters!
A few nights ago, I jumped in my car and headed toward the cattle ranch. I hadn't ridden in a car for longer than 15 minutes since Black Friday, and every time I experienced these short little commutes, it felt like needles being shoved down my spine. A few nights ago, I gutted out a 3-hour drive. It was miserable, to say the least.
By the time I got to my hotel, I just wanted to lie in bed. At the same time, though, I also wanted a big platter of meat. I was as equally hungry as I was tired. I had zero energy left to leave the hotel, and zero pain tolerance left to sit down at a restaurant. Enter DoorDash. I found a nearby barbecue restaurant that was more than happy to send a big platter of meat to my hotel room. I suspect this item probably costs $20-$25 in the restaurant, but my bill? Including fees and tip, I paid $40. An hour later, I was lying in bed eating a giant platter of barbecue.
Best 40 bucks I've ever spent! Could I have saved $15 by going to the restaurant myself? Absolutely!!! Mathematically speaking, would that have been a wise financial decision? You bet! Contextually, would that have been a good decision? No way!!! I made the absolute right decision that night, and I have zero regrets pulling the DoorDash trigger.
Context matters in all we do. We should stop painting everything with a broad brush, and properly assess each decision for what it truly is. Simply saying DoorDash is stupid, lazy, and evil is a fool's errand. Instead, it needs to be put into context with the situation at hand. While I don't typically get food through DoorDash, the times I do are huge blessings to me.
Please don't listen to criticism from people who aren't privy to the context of your situation. If we allow every broad brush to paint our decisions and beliefs, we'll rob ourselves of the nuance that can make all the difference in the world.
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