I think one of the unintended consequences of “consuming” so much is that the things that are considered “treats” become so much more
prodigious. That idea filters through so many areas of our lives – the way we eat, the way we dress, the time allocation choices that we make, and on and on. I remember when it was a real treat to get candy at Halloween – man, the best thing about that was this lady on my grandmother’s block who made popcorn balls every year. Yum… I can still taste those things. It’s sad – the thought of letting your kid eat homemade popcorn balls from their trick-or-treat bag is unthinkable now.
Sorry, I digress, as usual. Anyway, I was listening to an exchange on tv about how our kids eat, and it occurred to me that this state of our children’s health is just another example of a consequence of indulgence. In my day, going to Dairy Queen or something was a special event, not something that we expected to happen! If we require so much to go into the make-up of a treat – how many is it possible to have in a day..week..month? Think about it…how much different would you feel if you experienced 5 or 6 treats..not in a month or year, but a day? Try it…for one day, focus on what could be considered a treat. If something makes a moment more enjoyable or reflective, if a task is made painless-almost unnoticeable because of the state of something (no traffic when you’re in a hurry, finding something right where it should be, etc.), acknowledge it. Think of it as a treat, and just see how you feel at the end of your day. I’m not saying that we should lower our standards, it’s really more a matter of being as appreciative as possible of what our world IS. Getting the most we can from the now, is the best way to make the most of the next.
Sometimes I think that it’s a big vicious plot that feeds that whole “entitlement” vein in our national personality. Baby I don’t even feel entitled to draw breath – it’s a gift from God everytime that happens. The best stuff in life are those that require a little effort..a bit of personal success with something. I dunno, seems to me that a little more appreciation and a little less expectation might be a good thing. If I’m preaching to the choir – RIGHT ON!, that’s being a Hands On Woman! Fill every day that you can with treats.
