Lessons Learned in the Buffet Line
By Gary & Cathy O’Neal
Most of us love salad bars and buffet lines. All those cool
choices and ample portions... yum! We like to cruise through the
line and look at all that good food. We tend to take a little of
some things and a lot of others. Before we know it we have a full
plate and we didn’t get everything we wanted. That’s okay though,
“I’ll just make another trip through the line” we tell ourselves.
We sit down, add the finishing touches to our little feast, a
little salt & pepper, or whatever else is appropriate for what we
are about to partake, arrange the items on the table to enjoy our
meal in the most efficient manner and dig in.
Usually we find something on our plate that we don’t like, it
looked so good when we first caught sight of it but now, it’s in
the way on your plate so you either ignore it or push it to out of
the way. Of course there is always something on our plate that is
not good for us. We finish our firsts and contemplate what we will
get on our second trip through the line. “Hum, those meatballs
were really good, better have some more.” Once again we load or
plates with things we hope we’ll like, things that are not good
for us and things that we will probably never finish.
The problem comes when you find that you don’t have room for
dessert, “but it’s included in the meal, I had better have some
anyway,” we say.
After dessert we feel too full and uncomfortable. “Why did I have
those last 50 meatballs,” ugh!
How often do we approach life like this? We should be enthusiastic
about life. However, we often take on more responsibilities than
we should, we over-commit. We crowd our schedules so tight that
there is no room for the things we enjoy, like the dessert, the
sweet things in life. Just like the “meatballs” we find that the
things that we want to enjoy are no longer appealing to us. In
fact, they quickly go from enticing to repulsive because we have
taken too much.
Next time you go through a buffet line, think about your life. Do
you have a “full plate?” Are there things in your life that should
not take on, things you will not finish? Will you ignore them or
push them to the side. Should you say no when asked to complete
another task? Maybe, maybe not!
While you are enjoying your meal, think about your personal
schedule and responsibilities. Consider readjusting your time and
energy for the sake for your family and your sanity. Perhaps your
own life can be more fulfilling, productive and enjoyable because
you saved room for some dessert, the sweet things in life!
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