I have been thinking a lot lately about how much I waste. I waste food and energy. I lose time by wasting too much of it. I certainly waste money. And if I hadn't been so wasteful on the wrong "eats" I wouldn't have such a "waist-full" problem. But this week I have thought the most about wasted opportunity.
And how when you waste one thing - anything - you need more of it to replace it.
We lost a huge talent this week. For whatever reason, a God-Given voice was again silenced. And while I don't pretend to know anything about her life other than what was reluctantly shared with the public, I do know something about obsessions and how it can take over your life.
I was watching The Bodyguard last night, not so much for the story; I knew that part. But I looked at it from my "objective" eye. How the music mirrored her life in so many ways. And the part that got me the most was thinking and asking myself if, without her voice, did she really have nothing? And the more she wanted, needed it back, did it become the obsession that took over her life?
I had a boyfriend more than a few years back. The less attention he gave me, the more I felt I needed it from him. It became my obsession. Not him, but it. What could I do to try to make it right? I let it consume me until one day God hit me over the head and yelled, not too kindly, "WAKE UP!" I got the message and made changes right then and there. Otherwise, I would have missed so many opportunities that I would have one day realized how little I had because I let IT overtake my waking thoughts.
I must be an obsessive person, because I think I did the same thing with food. The more time I wasted thinking about food, the more I needed to consume it. The more I ate, the more my waist expanded, which caused me to miss out on doing a lot of things with my friends. I got so fat I no longer had the strength to go out and DO. Wasted opportunities...
I waste time at work. Could that call I decided not to pick up become a wasted sales opportunity?
I wasted time sleeping. Would I ever see that meteor shower? Or was that my last opportunity?
I wasted time knowingly eating the wrong foods. What did that cause me to miss out on today?
I wasted time working the crossword puzzle, and I needed more time to finish my chores.
We all have a unique talent. I may not have found mine yet, but if I keep wasting those "fact-finding" opportunities, I may never find it. I tell myself that I will make time next week. But I keep needing more time.
I spent money on junk I didn't need, so I needed more money. To make more money I need more time.
I wasted time watching TV instead of calling my Aunt and telling her I loved her.
I wasted my energy yelling at the guy in front of me for going so slow I had to sit through another red light. Did I really need that extra thirty seconds I wasted sitting there? Why couldn't I just enjoy the song playing on the radio?
Living at the beach, I literally have a huge window overlooking the world. Why should I waste that opportunity? What more do I need?
Daddy's favorite commercial was for Blue Bell Ice Cream, the one where the father states that they named their town Needmore because they needed more Blue Bell, while his daughter is in the background saying, "No we didn't, Daddy!" I think he liked it because the father and daughter were needling each other. That was one of his favorite pastimes: needling in a good natured way. I wasted a lot of time sometimes feeling hurt instead of realizing that was his way of telling me he loved me. He couldn't always say the words but when he was gone, and the gentle needling disappeared, I realized how much I missed it AND him. And how I wasted an opportunity to tell him that.
I don't want to waste any more opportunities. I realized the other day that I am in my last quarter of my life. I don't have time to waste worrying about things which I cannot control. I want to grab that bull by the horns while I still can, then hang on for the ride.
I don't want to be eighty and worrying about the things I could have done. I want to tell my grand nieces and nephews about what I DID do, and how much fun I had doing it.
No more waste because I need to do so many more things before I die.
And when I find my talent; I pray that God doesn't let me waste it, that He shows me a way to use it wisely.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
I'm Calling the Exterminator
You might think this is about bugs, but you would be so wrong. Bear with me a little bit while I set this up.
Today is the Super Bowl. And all the hoopla that comes with the big game. It doesn't matter if you aren't a football fan, and if your are, it doesn't matter that your team is not playing in the Big Show.
What does matter is two things: the commercials and the "spread." Not the betting one, although to some of you that may be a a biggie, but if you are poor like me, it matters none.
No, what I am talking about is the spread on the table, the counters, and on the barbeque pit. The Food.
It seems to me that we ought to just go ahead and declare this a holiday and have a legitimate reason to pig out while watching the pigskin. We do it for Thanksgiving, and often times around Christmas, and certainly during New Years. A month between these events, but not enough time to get back to the "zero weight gain" place.
During the pregame show, Ritz crackers were showing some semi-healthy snacks. But as the hours went by, the cracker spread got bolder and spicier. By the time the game was ready to go, most of us had given up even trying to pretend we were trying to eat healthy. As the momentum built up, our appetites soared.
The last of the chips and dips that Somebody Who Shall Remain Nameless had already gotten into were gone by mid afternoon. I am saved by the fact that it is a little too cold outside for me to hit the beer. But I did make some pretty awesome carne guisada....
Why do we eat too much of the wrong thing when we know it is wrong for us? I think it goes way past willpower and is more of a "because we always do it this way" mentality. Well, if you are naturally skinny and inclined to exercise several hours a week then maybe that is okay. But for us non-skinnies and not as active sorts, that is a recipe for disaster.
Now, I know you were like me, and vowed to make the New Year your year to change those nasty habits, right?
If you always do what you have always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten.
So, I am gonna get up and dance with Madonna at half time. Never done that before!
Which brings me to the exterminator.
A friend posted this on Facebook:
"Calories. Tiny creatures that live in your closet and sew your clothes a little bit tighter every night."
There you go. THE explanation I have been waiting for. I wonder if my bug guy is available today?
In the mean time, I am going to heat up a bowl of guisada and rice. Right after I quit laughing at that cute E-Trade commercial where the baby is speed dating in the nursery!
Today is the Super Bowl. And all the hoopla that comes with the big game. It doesn't matter if you aren't a football fan, and if your are, it doesn't matter that your team is not playing in the Big Show.
What does matter is two things: the commercials and the "spread." Not the betting one, although to some of you that may be a a biggie, but if you are poor like me, it matters none.
No, what I am talking about is the spread on the table, the counters, and on the barbeque pit. The Food.
It seems to me that we ought to just go ahead and declare this a holiday and have a legitimate reason to pig out while watching the pigskin. We do it for Thanksgiving, and often times around Christmas, and certainly during New Years. A month between these events, but not enough time to get back to the "zero weight gain" place.
During the pregame show, Ritz crackers were showing some semi-healthy snacks. But as the hours went by, the cracker spread got bolder and spicier. By the time the game was ready to go, most of us had given up even trying to pretend we were trying to eat healthy. As the momentum built up, our appetites soared.
The last of the chips and dips that Somebody Who Shall Remain Nameless had already gotten into were gone by mid afternoon. I am saved by the fact that it is a little too cold outside for me to hit the beer. But I did make some pretty awesome carne guisada....
Why do we eat too much of the wrong thing when we know it is wrong for us? I think it goes way past willpower and is more of a "because we always do it this way" mentality. Well, if you are naturally skinny and inclined to exercise several hours a week then maybe that is okay. But for us non-skinnies and not as active sorts, that is a recipe for disaster.
Now, I know you were like me, and vowed to make the New Year your year to change those nasty habits, right?
If you always do what you have always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten.
So, I am gonna get up and dance with Madonna at half time. Never done that before!
Which brings me to the exterminator.
A friend posted this on Facebook:
"Calories. Tiny creatures that live in your closet and sew your clothes a little bit tighter every night."
There you go. THE explanation I have been waiting for. I wonder if my bug guy is available today?
In the mean time, I am going to heat up a bowl of guisada and rice. Right after I quit laughing at that cute E-Trade commercial where the baby is speed dating in the nursery!
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