Moderation

Too much, too little. To fast, too slow. Too expensive, too cheap. Too risky, too safe. Too noisy, too quiet. A happy medium perhaps. Can you find the balance that suits you? Can you stick to it? It is not easy as plenty of your friends and family will encourage you to do more, do less, or do whatever that suits their balance rather than yours. Confidence: finding the balance that works for you and holding firm. Balance and moderation are found in so much of what we do. Getting a balanced diet. Getting enough exercise. Drinking some wine, but not so much that you lose the following day to aches, tiredness and regret. Eating the right things to maintain your body. Not eating too much - with temptations all around you. Eating too little can be equally bad for your life expectancy.

How much exercise ought we do each day? It is difficult to say for sure. Any is better than none I would assume. Exercising in moderation is better than doing too much. I ignore the warnings of those that disparage me for doing too little for whilst they exercise quite a lot more than me, they complain of bad knees, bad backs, bad tendons, and bad tempers, and struggle to get a good night’s sleep. They are the ones with ligaments that one never knew existed constantly flaring up.

Moderation can seem plodding to the young and eager. However, there is a bravery in balance that gets overlooked. People persuade us to do more. Others try to slow us down. Most find a balance that suits them personally. Maturity lends itself towards moderation. We are not the same. Our level of endurance differs. What can be a lot for some is not always a big deal to you. The amount of pain we can tolerate is different. Hence trying to emulate others, can cause us grief. Hopefully we each gain enough confidence to stand our ground and not be too swayed by everyone else’s idea of how much is enough.

Strong language gets people’s attention, but an attention-grabbing headline loses its effect if overdone. If you declare someone to be twisted for giving some badly worded advice, what word do you have left in your armoury for someone who revengefully poisoned your pet?

Moderation does allow for some vices. A little wayward behaviour from time to time is moderation with compromises.

Some worry too much, some not enough about the plethora of issues around us. Stoical is fine at times, but action changes things – usually for the better.