TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING

An article I read re-affirmed that breakfast is the most important meal of the day—so I had two of them. I figure that if too much of a good thing is bad for you, then too much of a bad thing must be worse. Given a choice, I will take the good thing every time. Mae West said, “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough!”

My husband, Warren was a generous man, but he really hated shopping. For instance, when I tried on two dresses in a fancy store, I asked him, “Which one should I buy?”  He replied, “Get both of them. Can we go home now?”  It made him happy when I bought things for myself, but occasionally he would bring me a gift— such as on the day, when I picked him up at the Commuter Rail Station. He smiled and handed me a very large bouquet of flowers. I thanked him, but noticed that they looked a bit wilted (the flowers not my husband), and  were tied together with a black ribbon. Suspiciously, I said, “These flowers are really beautiful. Where did you get them?” “Well,” he answered, “You know that today was the funeral of Senator Flinkus.” “Yes,” I replied. He said, “ They were for sale on the street, but at the end of the day, sellers were giving them away to commuters, so I thought you’d like to have a bunch.”  I said, “That was a very sweet thought Dear, but I am glad you didn’t bring me the funeral wreath.”

Warren was definitely a “good thing” so I appreciated the lobster he brought me from Boston, and the loaf of Sour Dough Bread stuffed in his suitcase from San Francisco.  After all, this was the kid who had given a basketball to his petite Mother on her birthday. However, his two offices—one at the University and the other at home— were definitely too much of a good thing.

Because he was involved in many research projects and made 10 copies of everything, his mess grew and grew. Had he thrown a few beans, into the piles of paper, he could have probably climbed up and met a giant. At the University, his graduate students would knock at the door, and ask, “Dr. Blumenfeld, are you in there?” And, I entered him in the “Messiest Office in Atlanta” contest.  He came in second. It seems a guy from IBM was a much bigger information hoarder. I used to tell people, “My husband suffers from piles.”

Too much of a good thing can be taxing—just ask your accountant.

Often “Stuff” we collect can be overwhelming, and you never know how much is too much unless you move. Then you realize that you have to rid yourself of the clutter. After all, when you get settled in your new place, you can always collect more. The best way to get rid of “Stuff” is to give it to your kids, so they can add it to their clutter, and if you feel nostalgic, you can visit the beautiful things you used to own.

Certain people can’t get rid of anything. They love to hang on. Unfortunately hanging on to old ideas, and memories of harmful relationships, can be too much of a bad thing. Clutter is not always physical stuff. It’s really better to visit the beautiful memories and share them with the people you love. Too much of a bad thing can spoil the broth.

For instance, when you are cooking, too much salt can ruin the dish.  However, when you are really cooking it’s always good to add some wine. However, when you cook with wine, don’t forget to add it to the food, but if you do—sometimes— that’s when too much of a good thing may be just about right. Cheers!

Esther Blumenfeld