Recovering from a Year in Excess

The year 2010, for me, was the kind of experience that really makes you grab your face like that kid from Home Alone and shake your head in wonder.  As I look back over my life experience this year I am in awe. I truly, unequivocally, and beyond my wildest expectations, lived the WHOLE of 2010 in excessive indulgence! Allow me to provide examples:

I went on a total of NINE vacations in 2010; I threw at least five house parties; I spent a total of about five to six weekends in New Orleans; I raised my alcohol tolerance level to an insane ratio; I moved into an apartment and continued to live as though I was salaried...with NO job. Oh, did I mention I was doing all of this with no employment?! That is right, not a dime of income other than student loans...after all, I am in law school.

All of this has led me to believe that 2011 should be a year of restraint for me. Life can become tumultuous without some level of balance and restraint.  I am looking to cut the excess out of every portion of my life this year. I do not wish to restrict myself to an Amish-like existence, but I do intend to get back to a place of harmony with the blessings that flow into my life.  Included in this recovery from excess are exercises in mediation and being still. I sometimes wonder if our lives become hectic because we are always concerned with being somewhere and doing something. It is not unproductive to be still for a few moments each day. Being still is not the same as doing nothing. I also hope to reduce the excess that exists on my actual person...but that is a blog all by itself (I will keep you posted).


The take away from this posting is simple. Look at your life and determine if balance exists. Perhaps your past experience has been the opposite of mine. Perhaps you need to create balance by being more adventurous, releasing some purse strings, or taking some chances. Too much of anything creates problems, but so can a deficiency. 

Keeping the balance in mind, "when life gives you the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance!"