Excess

FRI., NOV. 5, 1999, 6:11 AM
FARM, STUDY

The word “excess” implies “too much,” and that implies “not good.” It is a departure from the “golden mean,” not too much and not too little, not too hot, not too cold… You consumed an excess of beer yesterday, and you’re now paying a price. You awoke to uncomfortable thoughts and an excess of blood pressure. You really didn’t want to come here to listen to Me, so I had to urge you, excessively. But here you are, discomfort and all.

The situation yesterday was a good one – a meal with Matthew, your youngest son. The sharing of thoughts and feelings was pleasureful for both of you, and some aspects of your future are now much more clear. Matthew has been irresponsible as a youth and as a young man, but he now seems to be developing a maturity more appropriate to his age. He now sees a future that is more predictable… and comfortable.

So… there was an excess of sharing that was good for a father and son. And there was an excess of beer, which seems to have wiped out some remembrances… that is uncomfortable. Yes, o son, excesses can “go either way.”

It is interesting to you… and should be… that responsibilities that you used to accept and fulfill now often seem excessive. You accept that you are aging and hence are losing capacities, but you also retain tendencies to push yourself to standards that have been yours, in younger years. The “mean” goes down a bit, but you’re still striving to avoid excess, either way.

(You just greeted the sun, one of My gifts to you earth folk.) You have experienced…and lived through… several excesses with alcohol in your life thus far. This was one, though not as bad as the one on Maui, many years ago now. You had a major responsibility that next day, and you carried it out well, considering your hangover. You have no such task today, but I got you up anyway… to test your hearing of Me under conditions not ideal.

You are not proud of this excess… or of others you recall… but you know that while you will be abstinent or careful for awhile, this will not likely be your last beer excess.

Your experiences with your Dad in his last years and with Mabel now tell you that there can be an excess of time in each day… time with nothing worthwhile to do. You are enjoying your life now, with fewer responsibilities, but having none does seem like another kind of excess, toward which you do not look forward. As you see it, now, this translates to “life being excessive,” in this human form.

The living of your life thus far tells you that some forms of excess can be exciting… exhilarating… fun… even satisfying. Other forms, or at other times, can be frustrating… uncomfortable… dangerous… earth life threatening. Life involves balancing, not achieving some ideal balance and staying with it, no matter what… And yet, the aging process proclaims that the “level” of balance can’t be what it once was. Mabel sleeps excessively, by the standards of those younger, even yours. This seems to be the best balance for her now. She needs only a few hours of consciousness, rather than many.

You know, of course, that you do have tendencies toward excess with alcohol. You assume that you’ll have some “slips,” but that you can control the excess and avoid any real problems. And hear again, that excess itself is not a problem… it just can result in misfortune. You see alcohol as one of My blessings, but, like most blessings, it can have its “down side.”