Moderation...It's a Tough Word

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All things in moderation, right? This is the simple key to a well-balanced, wholehearted life, I am told. A little treat every nice in a while won't add the pounds, but don't eat that whole bag of Cheetos’s. A glass of red wine is good for heart health, but drinking the whole bottle raises a few eye brows and done too often sends both liver and mind to dark places. Work hard to earn a living, but not so hard that I forget what I'm earning a living for. Using Netflix and Hulu make it easy to schedule in an hour or two for a movie or my favorite television program, but also to binge watch my afternoon away on occasion. Volunteering for an organization, but then being a push over and bearing the weight of the project myself. Oh, it is so tough sometimes to keep things in moderation. In all things, it helps to have goals, and from those goals, establish priorities for where I spend my time, energy, money, and even calories, though the planning is just that if it lacks execution.

My blog is supposed to help me stay grounded. My tagline...an attempt to live with focus, purpose, and simplicity with less guilt, stares at me every day when I log in. But I'm a bit of a liar. I have guilt-lots and lots of guilt. For instance right now, I have a kitchen that looks like a tornado went through several file cabinets and pulled the contents out, and deposited them all over my kitchen table. On my way to make coffee this morning, my foot stuck for 1/2 a second to something unseen, but definitely felt on the floor. I had a hard time remember the last time I actually mopped the floor, corner to corner. Instead of just being ok with that right now, I am avoiding the kitchen entirely this afternoon. Escapism is my response to guilt. What would happen I wonder if I put my guilt and escapism on a moderation plan? Would I feel less guilt if I just spent a few minutes tackling the tornado zone, even if all I accomplished was to get the items that could be recycled into the recycle bin, and the things that we need to keep into a "to be filed" pile? Would I be content to reward myself with one nice cocktail or glass of wine on the deck tonight after taking a walk, a mile or so farther than I normally do?

This week I will see how well I can work on better moderation, less escapism, and less guilt when I choose something I want to do, over something I should be doing. The other side of the equation, I will challenge myself  to push gratification off, and get one more thing done, whether that is another load of laundry, a healthy meal prepared, or a long walk with a friend. Small, individualized accomplishments, are accomplishments none the less. I've been trying to bite off mentally more than I can chew, but will give small, focused intentional actions a try. What about you? How do you find balance and moderation?