7.16.2009

Life observation: Moderation might be a good thing.

Today's photo: "Gulp"

Moderation: neither too much nor too little; an absence or avoidance of excess

This word represents my new favorite concept. I know that I have recommended 'moderation' to other people before, but I'm not sure I ever thought this word applied to me. But - oh my goodness - it does! Sometimes I am so extreme - I wake up with a new idea or goal or plan to be happy and healthy - and I immediately want to start a Brand New Life with all memories of the past lives permanently banished. Instead of starting small or implementing incremental changes - I usually want everything to be immediately different. Instead of saying things like, " I am never going to date again!" or "I am giving up television forever" or "I will read a book every week" - I just need to be a little more moderate.

Awhile back I decided to avoid dairy, meat, and soda/pop/soda pop/Coke. Then, yesterday, I was eating at one of my favorite restaurants in the neighborhood. There it was on the menu - my favorite food - "crab rangoon." I decided to go for it. And, I do not regret this decision in the least. I savored every bite. Really. It was the most delicious food I have tasted in recent memory.

Don't get me wrong - I think, in general, we all need to cut way back on our dairy and meat consumption. And, the same is true for drinking pop. I still want to be a vegan at least 90% of the time. But also, I think I just need to relax a little and keep things in perspective. And maybe it's okay that sometimes a cold glass of Diet Squirt is pretty darn fantastic (and the fact that drinking it reminds me of visiting Grandma's and watching hours of the Disney Channel while eating Ritz crackers and drinking Squirt is an extra bonus).

Going without soda and crab rangoon for awhile was really a good idea for me. Because I'm about a billion times more thankful for crab rangoon than I ever was before. I don't plan to eat it everyday. But I do plan to relax. And breathe. And absorb, all the while continuing to focus on sustainability and positivity and supporting local farmers. I think maybe it's possible to do all these things. And I'm sure going to try.

1 comment:

  1. I completely agree with everything you mentioned in this post. I strongly feel moderation is key to many things...including food :)
    Whether it's eating meat, sweets, carbs, etc...I cannot block anything out for good ( I love food too much to do so), but it's being mindful of moderation. It can help to enjoy it all the more when we indulge periodically and with moderation, just like you said.
    ....and if that Crab Rangoon is from Noodles, I'm drooling already!!! My periodic indulgence was said appetizer with a side of Coke ;)

    I'm glad I am can still relive Hyde Park through your posts :)
    love from Carthage

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