In "The Man of My Dreams" by Curtis Sittenfeld, the protagonist grapples with the concept of happiness, treating it as something precious and scarce, akin to bottled champagne. This metaphor highlights their hesitation to embrace joy fully due to fear and the belief that happiness must be conserved for a more significant moment. The desire to postpone happiness stems from a deep-seated anxiety about exhausting one's capacity for joy.

This perspective raises profound questions about the nature of happiness: if it is hoarded, what happens when the moments to experience it finally arrive? The character's struggle reflects a common human tendency to defer gratification, ultimately questioning the value of holding out for a perfect moment. Instead of experiencing happiness in the present, there is a concern that using it would leave one with nothing left to wish for in the future.