Denial...Not Just a River
So, the hottest guy in the WHOLE world wide and I were chatting yesterday and some profound thoughts came about. I know, I know, your thinking...them? Profound? Yes. Us.
Ok, this may not be earth shatteringly fresh material but ponder with me for a minute...It's so easy to get in a habit of saying yes to ourselves. What do I mean by this? Well, basically it's not too difficult to get in the groove of eating whatever we want, doing whatever we want, saying whatever we want, spending whatever we want...ya know? I mean there have been times where we get to the point that its almost like every weekend should be a party, we should always be entertained, and soon it becomes, go, go, go, what are we doing next? WHAT!!?!??! Stay home? Pull weeds, do homework, clean toilets, fold laundry? This is not "the life". I should be doing something FUN, eating something BAD (by that I mean GOOOOOD), and wearing something NEW.
It's at that point when we have to take inventory. Is that REALLY how life is supposed to be? Or is there an element of sacrifice, and element of work, and element of patience that slips away so easily. When you only say "YES" to whatever you feel like, you end up FAT, POOR, ADDICTED, and TIRED. I think it starts with saying "no." Sometimes, we can't go out, can't see that movie, can't eat crap just because it sounds good, can't hang out yet again. We talked about how for our family at least, there are times, when we have to practice saying "NO". Not only for US but for our KIDS too. So many kids these days have an OVER-THE-TOP sense of entitlement and I think it stems from the example we set. I mean why shouldn't they EXPECT something new every time we go to the store, when we ourselves get something new.
Not to be a downer or anything, because I do believe life is meant to be lived and enjoyed, but, I also think it means that to appreciate the sweet, sometimes we have to taste a little bitter and say NO to ourselves.
posted by metromom @ 8:42 AM
6 Comments:
I couldn't agree with you more. One of the best lessons a parent can teach their child is balancing the "yes" and "no" answers in their life. But, it's a lesson that we as adults need to learn and re-learn in our own lives as well.
Ol' Nancy Reagan had it right "Just say no"
well said! kathryn and i were talking about some of these same things the other day. it's like when you were a kid and there were times where you weren't hanging out with friends, playing video games, etc... if things weren't going full throttle, then maybe you were missing out on something. i think, as you suggested, where addictions become prevalent in our society is when we don't stop saying "yes."
i think it's because we hate the "bored" word. as i said the other day to someone, "sometimes it's good to bored." maybe it's in the mundane and the simple is where we find balance in a chaotic world.
Work hard so you can play hard. It's never easy to choose doing housework over going shopping, but the gratification I get from having a clean house, a weed-free yard, a shiny waxed car...it greatly outweighs the temporary high I get from buying something new. AND kids have to learn that too... saying no doesn't necessarily mean they can't have it, sometimes it just means it's up to them to work for it. That's why I think allowance is so important. It really teaches kids responsibility and the importance of working for what you want in life and that lesson can never start too early.
I think we all need more "bored" times. Time to let your mind and body just "be". No thinking, no doing, no contemplating....etc. Sometimes I just want no plans and nothing scheduled.....just for a day. Ever have that morning when you wake up from a deep sleep and you cannot quite remember what day it is....just for a split second? Just for that moment (before the fear of losing your mind sets in) everything is at a stand still, peace. Maybe it's just me :)
-Mark
Matt: Gotta love Nancy...Obviously she said NO to herself a LOT, the Reagan Library where I grew up has her clothes displayed...dang that woman had the smallest waist EVER!!!
Ted: I SOOOO remember those days as a kid, my mom wouldn't let us go to long without "pullin' in the reigns" as she liked to say. I think bored is good too!
Terri: I'm so with you on that. There's nothing sweeter than playin hard when you know you've worked for except for when the work is folding laundry. There is no gratification in that.
Mark: Holy Crap! You're commenting on my blog. I feel so special!!! The great thing about you and my husband is that you both DOOO work really hard but you also know how to disconnect from that and have FUN! Even if it means that you're weird, which, of course, you both are.
This is why God invented fasting.
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