Heartwings Love Notes 951: The Voice of Reason

Heartwings says, "Listening to the voice of reason can bring frustration."

We were waiting with our purchases in our wagon at the prescribed social distance in a local Market. The line was quite long, and Stephen went to take another look around for interesting new items to try. Soon he came up to me holding 2 sandwiches in a transparent box. They were gluten free and looked quite delicious. "Let’s take this home for lunch," he said, handing it to me. Practical me looked at the label. My eye fell on the calorie content—hmm, pretty high. Then I looked for the sodium content: 20; too high.

I handed it back to him and told him why. He was disappointed; however, he took it in good spirit. As the line gradually snaked toward the register, he brought over several more items he hoped to try. From a health or calorie point of view, there was something wrong about each of them. Finally, although we had reached the cash register, he went off in search of yet another new item. The cashier was efficient, the credit card went into the slot and the groceries were packed into their bags by the time he returned, alas, too late with a hand soap in a pump bottle that would have been just fine to buy.

I remember the voice of my reason in my childhood. My mother had rules about food. Candy was not a regular item in our diet. It was reserved for special occasions like Christmas and Easter because it "wasn’t good for you." Halloween trick or treating was not part of our neighborhood activity. Ice cream was a Sunday treat. Between meal snacks did not exist. I grew up without potato chips, popcorn or other foods that most have in their homes and eat on a regular basis. At the time, though you might think the opposite, I did not feel deprived. My father did not rummage in the refrigerator, and the household rules about what we ate or didn’t, held true for us all, without argument.

The voice of reason is not to be confused with the voice of conscience. Reasons have little to do with right or wrong in a moral sense. Reasons dictate what is appropriate for the situation. For instance, one might say, "if there are only three plums left, please do not eat them all." That is a reasonable request. I used to count out the fruit or the cookies and other treats, and apportion them among my five children so everyone got her or his share. When one was taken, that person crossed it off her or his list. My children remember this today. Though I’m sure there must be exceptions, mothers most likely are the practical voice of reason. I know I am and so was mine.

May you have good experiences with the voice of reason.

Blessings and best regards, Tasha Halpert

Do you have or did you as a child, a voice of reason in your life? Do let me know about your experience. I love comments and other correspondence and look forward to it from readers. Write me here or at tashahal. For more of my love notes, please go to www.heartwingsandfriends.com.

*Blogger Note*

Thanks for visiting with Tasha and me today.

I don’t know about you guys, but I felt sorry for poor Stephen.

LOL.

I do love Tasha’s #HeartWing/#LoveNote Essays though. Don’t you?