more is not always better

As I think about how much excess is involved in the world today, I have come to the conclusion that more is not always better. During this time of year with the gathering of friends and family it is much too easy to overindulge. As I am stuffing my face with my 700th piece of mystery fruitcake, cookie or holiday treat and washing it down with a corresponding number of rum and eggnog. I think to myself maybe this is extreme. Maybe.


Just a hint. Saving clubs and places like Wal-Mart rely on over indulgence. I usually gain about 18 pounds when I walk in the door. Wow! I just found a 50 pound bag of chicken fingers. There is no way they have freezer burn before we eat all of them. Hey cool, look at that 80 pack of ramen noodles. It’s right next to the 75 count case of Mac-n-cheese. If you really need a 10,000 count of plastic silver ware they have that as well, but you better buy that gigantor box of trash bags. The landfill is not in my back yard!

Yeah, it is great to have a lot of things. Advertisers would have us believe that more is better. Much better. Stuff is cool. But it is just stuff. It is rarely irreplaceable. Well, the signed Osgood sweater IS irreplaceable. The Lions winning a Super Bowl, while a fantasy, would be irreplaceable. Er, I mean impossible and therefore irreplaceable.

Sometimes what looks like a great idea is a not so great. For example, that shot of tequila after 10 beers. WOO-HOO!! Maybe it is too much. More is not always better. It is probably a pass move, but you know how it goes. It is there, you not going to let it go to waste. That would be alcohol abuse. Beside that after ten beers, judgment may be a bit clouded. Just sayin’.

That third helping of massed potatoes and gravy, while it is yummy may have been too much. And then you follow it up with that slice of pie and ice cream. Then your belt tells you that you over did it. Hey, I thought I had two more holes in this belt. I did before that over indulgence.

Letting people know what you are thinking is not always the right move. Sometimes less is better. I suffer form over sharing. Sometimes. Saying that the necklace your wife is wearing is nice is okay. Saying it looks good is not a bad idea. Stop there. Do not add it is a terrible color for that outfit. That is too much. More is not always better. Sometimes it is best to understate what you are thinking.

Just because the stereo volume can go to 20, you do not always need to crank it to the maximum. If the car is vibrating from the bass, and things are falling off, like say, the muffler, it may be best to ratchet it down a bit. I would bet that if the car is vibrating and things sound like they are falling off, it cannot be good for the stuff inside your braincase. I am not a doctor, but it seems like a bad idea. Rap music is best heard at low levels. Well, my personal preference is rap music sounds best on mute.

The other day I was driving. It was snowing. There was already a couple inches of snow on the ground. I parked my truck. I knocked off the ice chunks, and brushed off the snow. I went into the job site. I came out at days end and there were at least 2 more inches of snow on the truck. Again I commenced with the brushing and clearing snow. More is not better. Nope. More is not better, especially when it comes to snow.

Just another day in paradise