I remember growing up in my parents’ home. My Dad was never very expressive. I can’t recall a raised voice from him.

One phrasing he did instill in me was ‘Everything in Moderation.”

It was so annoying.

Live a little, Dad. Just go for it, Dad.

Sometimes, the silver lining wasn’t very shiny. Rose-coloured glasses sometimes distorted reality. Moderation was sooooo boring.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, I’m turning into my father as I age as gracefully as possible.

Diets. I’ve been working to find the secret combination of food that includes chocolate, fries, chips, and sugar in its various forms. Ultimately, it remains a secret.

I’ve settled into a pattern of eating in moderation. I make a little bit of chocolate go a long way. News flash: quickly devouring the whole bar doesn’t reduce the calories! Moderation.

I now try to diversify my range of foods, eat fewer calories daily, stop tracking detailed metrics of my diet, and indulge a few days a year. It’s working, but not very quickly. Oh, yeah! Moderation.

On a bigger scale of moderation, I came across the greening of cities. This creates more greenery, wetlands, rainwater collections, and mosquitoes. There are many opportunities for these insects to lay their eggs in still water. One thousand eggs per female mosquito isn’t an unreasonable estimate.

But a goal of moderation is realistic and worthwhile. A healthy wetland has flowing water and diverse plants and insects, especially the mosquito-eating kinds. Moderation will help us reduce the mosquito population and avoid large-scale spraying, for example.

Backyard swimming and wading pools can be managed so they don’t attract insect egg-laying. We don’t have to give up our pools. Moderation. A little time devoted to pool management will do the trick.

Household budgeting. One moderation strategy I’ve adopted is to put aside money each month for any expenses that aren’t monthly occurrences. I pay my house insurance annually, so I put $100 each month into my savings account, and come insurance premium time, I transfer the funds without stressing.

This approach reduces the highs and lows of a monthly financial roller coaster. There’s that moderation sneaking into every corner of my life.

Please give this a bit of a think. Are you a moderation seeker? Do you prefer the adrenaline rush of a wide variation in your life? Do you mix it up a bit, preferring moderation only in some areas? How do your children and grandchildren compare to you on the moderation continuum?

I am curious about your thoughts. Please comment below with your bit of a think.

Photo AI Request: Create an image in landscape, on moderation

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glenn.walmsley@icloud.com