When Less Really Is More

I’ve given up a few things over the last year. My doctor asked me to give up gluten for a month, clearly mistaking me for a rational person when it comes to food. She called me when I was driving in the rain, late to speak at an event, to say she was concerned about my blood work. She asked if I felt exhausted all the time.

My response: “Is this a trick question? Isn’t everyone?”

So I bought a bunch of crack for healthy people “Gluten free” pretend groceries at Whole Foods and ate those for a month. Also switched up my vitamins. When the lab results came back, the doc said “Ok, so now those levels are good, but I’m also concerned about your triglycerides. I want you to eat more fat.”

I told her she was the most brilliant doctor who has ever walked the earth, and I took back all the mean smack I talked about her when she made me stop eating bagels. She said I should now try and eat more butter, avocadoes, olives, and cheese. I immediately committed to eating enchiladas every night for a week. It’s for my health, man. So far, so good.

Then last week was my birthday, and for my birthday we gave up cable. We decided (meaning: my husband and I, not the kids- they are in therapy over losing Total Drama Planet) that we wanted the stuff we could get without cable more than we wanted what came with cable. The crazy expense, the fights over shows to watch, the stress and pressure of DVR-ing everything we think we could possibly want to see and then scheduling time to “catch up on TV.” Please tell me I am not the only one who feels guilty when I see the little hourglass next to a show and realize TIME IS RUNNING OUT I MAY LOSE THAT SHOW FOREVER WITHOUT EVER WATCHING IT.

We hope it will give us more time and less time management. More reality and less reality shows. More freedom and less stress, more flexibility and less scheduling. More focus, less distraction, more stuff “to do” and less stuff “to watch,” more peace, less arguing over who erased that new episode of Chopped.

Before you start getting inspired, know that we do have Netflix, Hulu, Play On, Amazon Prime, and that other thing through the Xbox where you stream stuff.

Three days in and we’re still in the first stage of the five phases of grief. Which tells me we totally did the right thing.

The other day I was reading in the book of John in the Bible, and there’s a verse where John is talking about his relationship with Jesus. He says: “He must become greater: I must become less.” (Chapter 3, verse 30)

Another version of that same verse says: “This is the assigned moment for him (Jesus) to move into the center, while I slip off to the sidelines.”

This post is already long, so I won’t go much into the context, but basically John knows that the time has come for Jesus to start doing what he came to do; which simultaneously meant that John, who was developing a pretty high profile, was now intending to lay a bit lower. Big time to small time, for the sake of all time.

I can’t believe I just wrote that last sentence. I’ll probably take it out later if I remember. If you’re reading it, that means I forgot to edit it out and you can blame the gluten.

The scripture combined with cancelling cable (stay with me) and the changes I’ve made in my diet all caused me to reflect on this season of my life in terms of reducing. When something lessens, lowers, decreases, in my life; what rises up to take its place?

When people quit smoking, they often gain weight, partly because they are seeking a replacement activity. When I give up gossip, do I replace it with prayer? Or with pride?  When I stop worrying, do I instead focus on gratitude and trust? Or do I try and distract myself with my phone?

When I add something, do I give up something else? People do this with their closets, their time commitments, their Facebook friends. But usually they do it after the closet is stuffed, they are overly busy, or they really want to just unfriend one or two people but that would be obvious so they post a status update about how people shouldn’t take it personally.

But what if I reduced something in advance? What if I said no to something, not yet knowing what yes would soon arrive to take its place? What if I cleaned out my bookshelves or cleared my schedule in anticipation of what could come? What if I purposely cut back on how much I talked to make room for more space and comfortable silence in the conversation?

What needs to decrease in your life, so that something else can increase?

 Are You Leading The Life You Want?