I heard this intriguing advice from William Roche, who currently plays Ken Barlow on the world’s longest-running reality show, Coronation Street.

Just kidding, I know it is a soap opera.

It has been on the air for over 60 years. And as part of the celebration of his 90^th birthday, he was asked for his advice on a long and happy life. The title of this Blog was his 4-word response.

This Christmas season, there are many temptations; food, chocolate, which is its own food group, drugs and alcohol, buying things, easy credit, wearing pyjamas all day, getting the biggest tree and turkey possible – the list goes on.

I struggle this time of the year. I want to surrender to my temptations – live a little. But I want to fall short of those big regrets the next day or in January.

I do ok, but it isn’t easy. My alcohol consumption has been steadily decreasing over the years. I have been learning about the harmful effects, even in moderate amounts. The increasing choice of non-alcoholic beers and wines has helped. Well, maybe not the wines yet. Maybe next year.

I avoid the bowls and boxes of chocolates and candies. I lose track of how much I’ve eaten until the sugar crash a few hours later—the anecdote – more sugar or sweeteners in various forms. This doesn’t end well.

Thank goodness I need to sleep for 8 hours to get an enforced reset.

I try to suspend my reality for a short time. I enjoy myself with no regrets. Then I climb back on the wagon, confident I’ll be successful at handling my temptations.

Please give this a bit of a think. Are there times during the year when your temptations are too much? What are those temptations? And is there a story behind particular ones? How do you cope?

One of my Dad’s life mottos was ‘everything in moderation.’ It used to bug me as a teen. Moderation at that age was not a big attraction. Yet here I am, happily living a moderated life. What end-of-year reflections of your life mottos do you have?

I’m curious about your thoughts. Please share your bit of a think below.

If you enjoyed The Blog, please share it with others. Thanks.

And my thanks to St. Albert Seniors Association: 780-459-0433 for making this Blog possible.

Volunteer Blogger

TheBlog@stalbertseniors.ca