Everything in Moderation:
When I love something, and enjoy it, I sometimes tend to consume it and allow it to consume me, until I’m laid out bloated and exhausted. That is how the holiday season falls into our calendar for many of us.
After a winter of hibernation the holiday season lingers around quite content to dawdle in the sunshine. October shoves the Santa Ana winds onto us and suddenly the trees are dropping their leaves, leading the way into Fall. November is my family’s official month of kicking off the holiday season; AKA Christmas rush! Thanksgiving is a wonderful time for family and traditions which then slides us right into the Christmas countdown. Wow! I’m not sure if just before the holidays is a good time to bring up “everything in moderation” Perhaps it’s actually the best time to bring it up, so that we can intentionally maneuver our steps, rather than sink into excessiveness. If I can move me into awareness, then laying my thoughts on this page was worth it.
What tends to come naturally is excessiveness; going beyond the usual, necessary, or proper limit or degree. I’m not sure if “extra” is still a trending word, but that’s what some people are during the holidays. Extra in decorations, extra in Christmas lights, extra in shopping and gift giving, extra in baking goods, extra in Christmas cards, extra in feasts, and extra in winter wear. Extra.
So what does it actually mean to exercise moderation? And, how can we apply it to the season before us? https://www.dictionary.com/browse/moderation?s=t Dictionary.com defines moderation as the quality of being moderate; restraint; avoidance of extremes or excesses; temperance.
My children absolutely love the season, and so do I, every part of it, unwrapping every detail of it, to the point that year after year we have loosened our restraints; Christmas songs start in July! As I consider moderation into the mix of the holidays, it could save my pocketbook, some energy and an inch around my waistline. Moderation could affect my blood sugar and blood pressure readings and keep me on the healthy side. Instead of experiencing the eerie quiet after the whirlwind, moderation could walk me through the onslaught of activities and traditions with a graceful and enjoyable pace. With all that said, how do I actually practice moderation and enjoy the season?
Truly organized people have things in order starting in January! And thus, I am tempted to say that it’s too late by now, but that’s the easy way out. With just seven weeks of the season left, I can still organize and practice moderation somewhere in the forty-nine days that remain. There are the off season events of life that plod on before and between the holidays; a baby shower for my grand-niece and a birthday dinner before Thanksgiving. I push down defeat and take courage because I have done some planning; my Christmas fund is cushy, I'll face Black Friday confident and carefully. I’ll make my lists this week, starting with the groceries needed for Thanksgiving dinner. I'll shop, using the next two week, before the stores get crowded. With plenty of time to prep; chopping, dicing, mincing and marinating, I'll calmly walk into my cooking day. After mindfully ordering my steps and it's all said and done, left-overs put away, I’ll look around and feel how moderation left its impression on this first half of the holidays.
Be moderate in order to taste the joys of life in abundance. ~ Epicurus
Source: https://proverbicals.com/moderation
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