This time of year, many of us will be tempted with the food from the holiday parties and family get-togethers.  We may even over indulge when it comes to our wallets too — buying gifts that we could all live without.  We feel a little whelmed with obligations and traditions that we had no hand in setting, but are too afraid not to do.

Well, I am not feeling the tiniest of attraction to any of this nonsense that we all seem to lose our minds over this time of year.   The hustle and bustle that seems to catch us off guard in more ways than one.  (Side note: this happens every year.)  It is as if we are unable to get off the merry-go-round that everyone else seems to be on as they try to grab our arms to get us to join them.

No thank you.

And, yes, I said that with absolutely no guilt.

If I am not charmed by the glitter of sparkly lights or holiday cheer, does that mean I am being a Scrooge about the spirit of the holidays?

Actually, it means quite the opposite.

So what does that have to do with being overweight?  Why would I want to tip the scales?

This post is about finding something with meaning and the action of choosing.  It is about the power each and every one of us carries within us when it comes to the people we surround ourselves with to the actions we take.  This is not about weight in the literal sense, but in the way we have become “weighted down” with possessions that no longer fill our hearts with the joy we know we crave.  It’s about saying “NO” to the consensus and saying “yes” to the right to choose what’s right for you.  It’s about taking a stand against listening the voice in our hearts instead of what is being shoved down our throats from others.  It’s about doing something that has substance and leaves us with a sense of “being” that cannot be captured any other way.

So, yes, I am loading up.

I am going big.

Buffet style…ready for more.

Isn’t it about time we started tipping the scales in our favor?

When we stop snacking on the superficialness of material things and instead inhale kindness, unconditional giving, and compassion?

When we find stop gorging ourselves on earning another dollar and instead use our time to serve the ones who have nothing?

When we devour the personal conversations and need for human interaction instead of checking a box score or “liking” a status on Facebook?

When we ingest everything the world truly has to offer by trying new things and learning instead of nibbling at the food that hasn’t tasted good for quite some time?

I want to be so full of life that I have to always wear my “stretchy” pants every day.  I need to be intrigued by the things I still have yet to learn that a small little nibble just doesn’t do it.  Standing in line, loading up my plate with positivity, enthusiasm, and adventure is what I ordered.

Sometimes, life will cook is a meal we would rather send back…because it’s cold or leaves a bad taste in our mouth.  But no matter how much we deny what is sitting in front of us or even if we try to leave the table, this meal will follow us wherever we go.

Life is short.  It comes and goes faster than we think it will and only when we look back on it will we wish we had take a bigger bite out of it.  When we will wish that we had not been so picky about what we took from the “buffet line of life.”  When even one more bite, no matter how big, could ever satisfy the thirst and hunger that rumbles through our ever-empty soul.

But we can change it…

• Tipping the scale begins when with the savoring of the smallest of morsels.
• Tipping the scale begins with giving love away to the starving.
• Tipping the scale begins with being authentic with what we like, what we want, and where we want to go.
• Tipping the scale begins with not being afraid to go back for more.
• Tipping the scale begins with experiencing life with all of its flavors, colors, and smells.
• Tipping the scale begins with saying what mean and meaning what we say.
• Tipping the scale begins with truth and honesty, as hard as it may be to hear sometimes.
• Tipping the scale begins with compassion for those struggle more than we do.
• Tipping the scale begins with kindness for those who have been mistreated or forgotten.
• Tipping the scale begins with the serving of others, without expectations or conditions.
• Tipping the scale begins with feasting on the hope of tomorrow.
• Tipping the scale begins with dining with only the best people.
• Tipping the scale begins with being deliberate with our choices.

So, as the days continue to tick off the calendar and we close 2015, I pause to wonder.  How will you load up your plate?  Will you be the picky eater you have always been or will you add a little something new?  Will you share your nourishment with others or will you hoard it all for yourself?

The smorgasbord of life beckons to us to fill our bellies with nourishment only found in the caring for each other, in the human spirit that never wavers, and in the sacrifices made for betterment of mankind.

See you at the buffet of life! LET’S EAT!