This is about a realization of how things can creep into our lives completely unaware…and affect us deeply. We can consume, unthinkingly, and end up completely off-track and unable to easily get back on.
One of my favorite restaurants is a Chinese buffet. When I worked over there, I had been known to stop by at lunch. You see, this particular buffet offered take out, by weight.
The first time I used the takeout, I loaded my container with what I normally would have put on my plate. Some lo-mein, General Tso’s chicken, a good helping of sauteed green beans. A couple of potstickers. Nothing over the top, but the amount I would eat while sitting down in the restaurant.
At the cash register my jaw hit the floor when the weight on the food came up at 1.8 pounds. So when I was sitting down, I was eating over a pound of food for lunch! No wonder I felt lethargic and non-productive after lunch there.
I started thinking about other areas of my life where I don’t think about what I’m taking in: blog reading, Pinterest, web surfing, television, podcasts. It’s easy to get lost in the consumption when you really aren’t paying attention.
So many hours are lost because I have stuffed myself so full of low-value information that I feel lethargic – and I don’t get anything done.
The lesson from the buffet: pay attention to what you are doing and what you are taking in. It is easy to over-consume when everything is laid before you in a buffet to choose from.
