Too Much good

One of the hardest lessons I’ve learned lately is that I can’t have every experience, I can’t eat every amazing food, and I can’t read every book. The reality of the world today is that there is just too much good stuff out there and if I try to do/eat/read it all, I will be overwhelmed and will not enjoy any of it.

The reality of this lesson came when I had to return a book to the library that I’d checked out six weeks ago, but hadn’t had a chance to read. I’d gone to a Shinto exibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art and happened across a book called Essence of Shinto: Japan’s Spiritual Heart. I flipped through it and it looked amazing and just the type of book that is perfect for relaxing with. I found it at my local library and checked it out and it sat and it sat and it sat. I took it with me to read on the plane, but I read other books instead. I brought it home and it sat in a pile of other books, then I checked my library account and realized it was overdue.

I thought about rushing through it and forcing myself to read it all in one sitting, but this was a book to be savored and I didn’t have time to savor it. Rushing through it would have been like ordering a meal at The French Laundry and rushing through it like it was McDonald’s. So, I did the only responsible thing and returned it. I have to admit that tugged at my heart a little bit because I really did want to read that book, but I also wanted to read the other 30 books sitting on my table.

The realization hit me that life really is short and sometimes we have to say no to good stuff because saying yes to all the good stuff we have available to us is exhausting and stressful. Instead of truly savoring something, we rush through it to get to the next good thing and we are stressed in the process. Life should be about savoring the things that we choose to savor. It should be about being present in the moment and savoring things instead of rushing through them to get to the next good thing.

My new strategy for dealing with all the good stuff is to not automatically say yes to all the good things that come into my life. Sometimes, I say yes and I truly embrace the opportunity and savor it. Sometimes I say not now, like I did with the Shinto book, and know that it will be there if I choose to go back to it. And sometimes, I just say no because I know that I won’t be able to truly savor the experience. And the best part, is that I’ve realized that any one of those choices is okay.