Porridge

Now I’m sure many of you are probably familiar with the story entitled “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” If not, let me quickly summarize: deep in the woods there are three bears who know how to “throw down” (translation: cook really good) porridge; Yet not only that, those bears “threw down” so hard (translation: they cooked so good) that a little girl named Goldilocks smelt their porridge and decided, I’m breaking into their house because I need a taste of that food.

So, Goldilocks did just that, she broke into the bears’ house, and she probably had the best porridge of her life. Hence, with that being said, like Goldilocks I currently am on a quest in search of a porridge that smells so good, and tastes just right, that I’d do anything to get a bite of it each morning. Yet, this porridge that I’m referring to is not actually what you might be thinking, rather the porridge is an analogy of what I’m looking for in my work. Allow me to explain…

The Hot Bowl of Porridge

Imagine this. You lift up your spoon and dig into bowl number one. Your stomach begins to boil and your face discolors to red. Like a cartoon, you imagine breathing fire as sweat rains down your face. Snot escapes your nose, and you gasp for a glass of milk. Everything burns as you push away the bowl of smoking hot porridge.

Bowl Number 1 (Heat): In “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” the first bowl that Goldilocks tastes does not end up tasting right. Instead, what she tastes is too hot! And if you aren’t accustomed to eating hot food, there is something pretty iconic about what hot food can do. If unprepared when consuming something hot, you might jump out your seat, scream in pain, and run like the wind for something to cool down. Thus, hot food is a catalyst to get you moving and active; and ironically I believe this same analogy can be seen within our work.

When it comes to work, I often experience moments that act as catalysts for action. Whether it’s being on fire about a certain assignment, on fire about a future opportunity, or on fire about an up-incoming event, I get energized by heat, it gets me moving, and I can’t slow down. Yet, what happens when exposed to too much heat? When uncontrolled, fire can become dangerous. Be it adding too much to our plates, or throwing too much fuel on our schedules, too much fire inevitably will lead to burnout. Hence, when thinking about your work life, could your porridge be too hot? Of course some heat is needed, but too much heat might get us burned.

The Cold Bowl of Porridge
You look to the right, and a slightly smaller bowl catches your eye. Hungrier now, you lift up your spoon and dig into bowl number two. But this time, your jaw locks, as your mouth starts to tingle, and shivers run up and down your spine. “B-B-Brain f-freeze!” you mouth as you lift your tongue, and your muscles contract. Everything feels numb as you push the bowl away. Who in their right mind would put a block of ice in their porridge?

Bowl Number 2 (Cold): In a lot of instances, after experiencing significant heat, we run to the other extreme, cold. Be it cold ice cream, cold water, cold milk, or cold yogurt, we often combat too much heat with an addition of too much cold. Yet the problem lies in both options being “TOO much.” In other words, rather than finding a cool/sufficient solution to our hot circumstances, we can risk finding something too cold instead. Allow me to explain…

I humbly must admit, after experiencing significant busy seasons in my life (aka “hot porridge” seasons) it is easy for me to embrace “cold” porridge seasons. What do I mean by that? Well, be it a vacation, a Sabbath, playing video games, or watching YouTube videos, all of these activities help me cool down. Yet, as I suggested earlier, could too much coldness actually be a bad thing? For instance, imagine what might happen if I never exposed myself to a busier (warmer porridge) season, because I liked the cold too much? Instead of being productive, I’d get frozen in place and do nothing. Hence, when thinking about your work life, could your porridge be too cold? Of course some cold is needed, but too much cold might freeze us in place.

The Porridge that Tastes Just Right

Unsure of whether or not you should continue tasting the food, you turn to the right and see an even smaller bowl than the first two. Well here goes nothing, you think to yourself. You lift up your spoon and prepare for the worst…

Bowl Number 3 (Something Just Right): Imagine the predicament of bowl one and bowl two. After tasting something too hot, you run to something too cold; then after tasting something too cold, you run to the bowl thats too hot again. This porridge cycle is deadly, but only if another option was not in play. Yet, luckily for us, for Goldilocks the was in fact another bowl of porridge in play.

After feeling unsatisfied with bowl one and bowl two, Goldilocks discovered a smaller bowl of porridge that catered to her every need. Not too hot, not too cold, her porridge was uniquely the way she liked it; and as a result, she consumed it all, every… last… bit. Consequently, when it comes to work life balance, I’ve been challenged to consider: is my porridge too hot, or is my porridge too cold, or maybe just maybe there’s another option that tastes just right.

Could something be out there that specifically is tailored to your unique taste buds? A porridge that doesn’t burn nor freeze, but tastes so good you won’t leave any scraps. Hence, I want my work-life balance to be like “just right” porridge. And with that being said, might you want that too?

In conclusion, I want you to consider, are you’re enjoying your breakfast? And maybe if you are, you can share your recipe.