Garage Sale or Zero Sum?
Hello Folks,
I hate yard sales. I don't like having them and I don’t like going to them.
Why?
I ALREADY HAVE TOO MUCH STUFF. GETTING A “GOOD DEAL” ON SOMETHING IS STILL JUST MORE STUFF!
I want my world to be more orderly and well thought out. I want stuff around that is useful most of the time, not once in a while.
But alas…
There is a little girl that runs around our neighborhood. She is probably 8 or 9. We have some large common areas in our neighborhood and she and her friends are always making good use of them. When her friends can’t play however, she comes over to the house, takes Jessie for walks and if we are having a gathering of any kind, usually involving grub, she seems to be underfoot. She’s a cute kid. And she can sniff out snacks as well as Jessie can.
A few Saturdays back, Mrs. Swaim and I were doing some pre-spring clean-up and there was the neighbor girl, asking questions and getting underfoot.
Mrs. Swaim finally asked “What is your family doing today?”
“My dad is cleaning out the garage and my mom went to a yard sale”, she said innocently.
The irony was not lost on me and Mrs. Swaim! The poor dad is over there in his garage trying to make room for more stuff that he must certainly know is coming. He’s throwing out stuff and she is bringing more home! Most of it is probably not useful OR valuable. (I know I am making a big assumption, maybe she came home with treasures! But probably not.)
No matter how you slice it, this is NOT a winning situation. Replacing stuff with stuff is a tie game. You don’t win. A classic zero sum.
If you have a computer, you have certainly heard the expression garbage in/garbage out. It makes sense, sort of. But not really. It is really just a zero sum game. You have got to get more stuff going out than is coming in. Otherwise, what is the point? This old garbage, or this new garbage? Still garbage! Still no clear winner.
In many ways we treat our health, our lives, and our garages like this. We put in good and bad equally and wonder why nothing ever improves. We are hoping to offset the negative with the positive but the scales always seem to balance. Or worse tip in the wrong direction.
The other day, I was walking out of the gym and a young man walking in was exhaling what must have been a vape. You know, the big breath that looks like they are on fire? I don’t understand vaping but it seems like a contradiction to exercise. It seems like a zero sum game.
I know people who run marathons so they can eat garbage. They will not get ahead of this negative input, in the long run (pun intended).
Why play a game if the outcome is always tied? The idea is to make progress. The idea is to win. Get rid of more than what is coming in. That is a win every time.
Here is my simple suggestion:
Do a few things that tilt the scales in your favor. Pick the low hanging fruit.
Here are 10 more simple suggestions:
Fast. But when you fast, don’t gorge on the next meal. Just eat normally.
Eat more protein than anything else.
Drink more water than anything else.
Sleep. This is its own reward.
Spend more time moving than sitting.
Get some sunshine on your face. (Tricky lately!)
Go to the gym and don’t vape on the way in!
Read the scriptures. Dwell on the good and not the negativity all around us.
Buy your wife some flowers. (RIP Razor Ray)
Clean out a draw or closet, and leave it empty as long as you can; it will fill up soon enough, almost by magic.
And one bonus suggestion:
Give someone the right of way at a four way stop! Even though it is not their turn! This will have profound effects on clearing out mental clutter.
You get the idea.
Tip the scales in your favor.
Play to win, not to tie.
Simply.
Cheers,
ks
