Overindulgence...

So it’s the day after Thanksgiving... and we feel a bit hung over...

Who could blame us?

Did we really need that third helping?... the entire bottle of brandy, really?... why did we have another piece of pumpkin pie before we went to bed?...

We know better than to behave like we did...

...but we tell ourselves that it’s our one and only day to overindulge... our one day to gorge on great food prepared by loving people... the one day of the year where we meet together with family to break bread... it’s okay to overdo it just a bit...

We deserve to overindulge one day a year...

We rationalize that we have three days to work off those extra calories... we’ll work hard around the house doing chores...or go on that hike in the mountains... perhaps we’ll plan to wake up early and go to the gym...

Ah, but Friday morning rolls around... and guess what... it’s Black Friday... time to go to the mall and see about all those bargains that we’ve heard and read about...

So we venture out to play parking lot roulette at the local malls. We run around to the various department and discount stores looking for that incredible deal on big screen televisions, newest fad toys and cashmere sweaters. We fill our carts and empty our bank accounts...

We know that we really don’t need all that extra stuff...

...but we tell ourselves that we’re getting some incredible bargains... we’ve now got all of our Christmas shopping knocked out in only one day... that we’re expecting a big year-end bonus so it’s okay if we spend the money today...

After fighting crowds all day, we finally get home... our feet are sore and our patience is worn thin... we ate some lunch at the food court at the mall... but now it’s time to make a dent into all those Thanksgiving left-overs. We pile our plates high with leftover turkey, potatoes, stuffing, yams and buttered rolls... all smothered in hot gravy...

We didn’t make it to the gym or on that long hike today... but it’s okay... but we got a workout at the mall... plus there are still two more days left in our long weekend...

We deserve to overindulge just one day a year...

Saturday arrives and as we go outside to retrieve the morning newspaper we notice that the house across the street now has new colorful outdoor lights and a giant Santa and candy canes on their lawn. Christmas has arrived in our neighborhood.

So after our morning cup of coffee, we venture into the garage to find where we stored last year’s Christmas decorations. We know that we still have them... we just need to find them.

After about an hour of searching the garage, attic and basement without success, we head back to the mall to purchase enough lights and decorations that our house can be seen by planes at 35,000 feet.

It’s costly to purchase Christmas decorations in November...

...but we tell ourselves it’s worth it because it helps to build memories for the kids and shows the neighbors that we have Christmas spirit and civic pride... at least more than them...

We’ve spent all day and a small fortune hanging all the lights and decorations. At the end of the day we’re exhausted and hungry... so it’s round three of Thanksgiving leftovers...

As we start to nod off on the sofa due to our turkey / tryptophan sleep inducement... we tell ourselves that we will definitely hit the gym on Sunday...

We deserve to overindulge just one day a year...

We awake to grey skies Sunday morning... rain in the foreseeable future. We intend to go to the gym right after we go to church...

...but our football team is vying for a wildcard berth in the playoffs and our fantasy football is only a few points out of first place... so we sit down in front of our new big-screen television to watch football... plus it’s pouring rain outside...no reason to go out on a hike today...

As we finish off the Thanksgiving leftovers and a 12-pack of beer, we spend the rest of the afternoon and evening watching a triple-header of football...

...it’s only one day of watching TV... we deserve to overindulge just one day a year...

The following day as we dress for work... we wonder where our long 4-day weekend went.

Our head is a bit sore from all of the alcohol that we consumed in front of the TV yesterday.

Later that morning the boss announces that the year-end bonuses won’t be as big as expected due to some unforeseen inventory and equipment write-offs... but we’ve already spent the money buying things... things that we really didn’t need...

...and to top it all off... our team lost yesterday in overtime!

We sit at our desk ruefully thinking about our overindulgence of the past four days. Eating too much food... drinking too much... spending too much money... watching too much TV...
 
...all for what purpose?

...did it make us feel any better in the end?... did it help us to enrich our lives?... did it help us to improve the lives of others in our community?

We all need time off to relax and unwind... to forget about work and to refresh our bodies and our minds... but did we need to engage in so much over-eating?... drinking to an excess?... spending what we did not have?

The holidays are a time to feel better... not worse!

The holidays are not about decorations, gifts, cookies, trees and/or a bounty of food...

The holiday season is a time to spread joy and good tidings to others... a time to spend with friends, family and loved ones... a time to give of ourselves to those less fortunate than us...a time to reflect on this past year and find ways to improve upon the next...

The season has just begun... let us give thanks in abundance... but consume in moderation...

Thank you for your support of OptiFuse, where we continually give thanks for all that we have... and hope for a better tomorrow.