40 Things I Learnt By 40

Something for Tomorrow

From my little experiences so far, I have noted that too much of any particular thing is bad for you, just as too little of it is detrimental.

When does a thing become too much or too little? This question can only be answered in relation to how that thing is to be used.

Too much salt can lead to high blood pressure and heart diseases, whereas too little can lead to a condition known as Hyponatremia, which results in seizures. In the same vein, believe it or not, too much water can kill you with overhydration and too little leads to dehydration.

The amount of salt recommended per day is about 6 grams or one teaspoon full, while the amount of water recommended per day is a weight of 2kg (2 liters – 9 tea cups full).

 

In view of this, getting the right balance seems key in our ability to thrive. The more one masters how to get the balance right, the more they are able to benefit from their experiences.

One of the secrets to good cooking is to get the right proportions of the ingredients into the meal.

 

Going down memory lane, I can still hear my mum chiding “leave something for tomorrow!” “Waste not, want not!” I only got one scoop of ice cream even though I wanted five, but I had to leave something for tomorrow. We were only allowed to watch one video film a day, so that we could have something left for tomorrow. I would have loved to stay in the pool for much longer than two hours, again, some things had to be done next time.

It became a mantra that guided everything that we did. We were restrained from over indulging in the things we enjoyed, but at the same time made to participate in the things we did not care for, like tidying up, homework, eating our greens, … so we could have something better for tomorrow.

 

When I left home to be on my own for the first time, I had all the time and resources I needed to do what I wanted. I was free! So, I tried to enjoy all I could for as long as I could. However, I discovered that my original estimation of how much time and resources I had was greatly skewed.  Reality quickly set in at about the same time that hunger – uninvited – decided to squat with me. It had moved in when my senses had moved out to have a good time. When I came back to myself, like the prodigal son, the words of my mom suddenly made sense “waste not, want not”, “leave something for tomorrow!” Her lesson on moderation hit home.

 

I used to think that moderation was about taking the fun out of things, but I have learnt that moderation doesn’t mean playing down on the enthusiasm, focus or drive you have for a thing; rather it means giving the right amounts of focus and drive to those things.

Moderation is about pacing yourself with what you have left in your tank to get to the desired goal finishing strong.

 

There is always something that needs to be left for tomorrow so you can go on and focus on the rest of what is needful for today.