50% More
Getting 50% more chocolate or decaf mocha or shoes is good. But 50% more laundry soap, well, I’m not all bent out of shape about it. Plus, I don’t really believe it. 50% more than what, last week’s box, last year’s? Coupons and BOGO offers flood the mail, but what I want to know is how do I do 50% more?
Some days I mark fifteen red slashes through my to-do list. Other days I don’t even write the list. Why are some days 50% more productive and other days I wander around the house, sort of forgetting why I’m wandering and questioning what it was I was supposed to accomplish. These days are 50% less satisfying.
I want my days to be regular size. No super-sized mornings or extra large afternoons. I’m tired of cramming errands and homemade costumes and spotless houses into my days. Remember when McDonalds only offered one size of fries? (maybe not for some younger friends) When my dad needed nails, he went to the neighborhood hardware store. Now we go to mega-sized Home Depot. How do I keep my days standard-sized when everything around me is 50% more?
I’m trying to say no to the double offers. I really don’t want to be two places at once. Tonight at dinner Paige told me she wanted to resume private tumbling lessons. Well, with holiday traffic around the corner, the fifteen minute drive to the gym doubles to a half hour. So I told her after the first of the year, if she still wanted to do it, we’ll talk. I can’t feed Merritt, transport Paige, make dinner and help the boys with homework. I can’t do 50% more.
I need to beware of the offers of more. Sure life is enriched with activity and friends and serving others. But as I heard on Oprah last week, “It’s okay to serve, but you don’t have to be the main course.” I don’t want to be a super-sized mom.
12 Responses to “50% More”
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October 23rd, 2007 at 9:57 pm
I know, I know, everything is more, more, more. Everyone keeps upping the ante, as it were. Nothing is ever enough. I, too, just want to be a regular mom having a regular day, rather than multi-tasking and trying to be in 3 places at once. Whatever happened to sitting still?
October 23rd, 2007 at 11:18 pm
50% less sounds good to me!
October 24th, 2007 at 7:46 am
Oh, I crave that too. Life has been so crazy lately…I can’t imagine what the holidays are going to do to that.
I’m not a big Oprah fan, but I love that quote….
Here’s hoping for a regular-sized day!
October 24th, 2007 at 8:11 am
I hear you! With all the technology we have you’d think life would be getting easier but where are the quiet evenings on the porch that our parents enjoyed?
October 24th, 2007 at 8:45 am
Less is definitely best! The other day I ordered a SMALL diet coke, and when it arrived I couldn’t help thinking that, if this was a small drink, then the large must be served in a bucket or something! Unfortunately, we seem to be living in a day and age where bigger cars, bigger homes, intricate phones, and the idea of more, more, more is a driving force. When my family hosted a nun from Tanzania this summer, we truly recognized the beauty of simplicity and what a gift it can be in our lives. Sometimes all we have to do is decide we want it . . . and I really want it!
October 24th, 2007 at 9:47 pm
Such an excellent point. We have started focusing our family on cutting back. Cutting back spending, cutting back running around, cutting back our focus on wordly goods and more on our family.
Great post!
Thanks for visiting and posting on my blog!
October 24th, 2007 at 11:10 pm
I totally agree with what you’re saying here. I don’t want to be the main course either. Wise words.
October 25th, 2007 at 7:36 pm
I seriously agree with you!
October 25th, 2007 at 8:57 pm
Great post, Kathy! It is something I’ve been thinking about quite a bit lately. Haven’t come up with a lot of solutions, yet, though.
October 25th, 2007 at 9:21 pm
I like the idea of 50% LESS! Amen to that. Our family has such a busy life, but as the master scheduler I work hard to schedule NOTHING!
Insightful post Kathy!
October 26th, 2007 at 12:48 am
It really doesn’t seem right that we keep trying and trying to do more with less. Will we never learn that it can’t be done?
October 28th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
I thought I’d signed on for the BOGO deal, but I can’t seem to find my half priced counterpart. :-S