Save Room for Dessert
When I was a kid, we didn't eat out often. About once or twice a month, however, we would go out after church. Despite just having left a house of God, this usually resulted in squabbling in the car as to where to go. One of my favorite places was Luby's Cafeteria. This was my father's least favorite but sometimes I won. There was nothing that excited my ten year old self more than carrying my own tray down that silver line. Oh the choices...
So many choices.
As I started to grab from each station, my dad would always say, "Remember, your eyes are bigger than your stomach." To which I would routinely scowl and put back the cucumber and tomato salad. My mother would then lean over and whisper,
"Save room for dessert."
Save room for dessert? But it all looks so good. How in the world do I choose?Now in the cafeteria line of my life, I struggle with the same problem. The tray is my day and I want to fill it up. I grab from every station - home, school, blog, friends, and volunteering. I smile back at the hair-netted attendant and say "yes, please". The tray starts to rattle as the miniature bowls bang against each other and the tartar sauce drips over the edge. In the Luann platter of life, I reach the dessert and find I have no space. And what is the dessert?
Family.
My husband and my children are the sweetest part of my day, my life. Too often, I come to then with a full tray and try to fit them in between the macaroni & cheese and sweet tea. My father was right, my eyes are too big for my stomach. And the result is a bloated, overbooked schedule and a stressed-out momma. It's time to take my mom's advice, AGAIN.I am looking at my tray today and I am going to keep that round circle empty. I am going to put things back and say "no, thank you". If they're the dessert, I am not just saving room, I am making room. Heck! I might just start having dessert first!