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Now how does that saying go…"too much of a good thing is a bad thing" with a few different versions or variations of this idiom credited to William Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Mae West and others, when looking online how far back this phrase originated. Last week I was reminded of this very concept when I eagerly went swimming at the local pool known to us here in Adelaide as Waterworld. Monday was hot like an oven -- 32 degrees Celsius with clear blue skies and very little breeze. My anticipation over the last couple of days was very high for a lovely time exercising in one of my favourite sporting activities and so I went for just over 2 hours swimming -- freestyle, sidestroke both left and right, backstroke, breaststroke, diving under to reach the swimming pool floor, floating, kicking hard in counts of 100 each time while holding on to the side of the pool, and just treading water. This was bliss -- pure bliss to me as I kept thanking God for this opportunity in the great outdoors enjoying everything I was able to do. Most of the time the largest lane was free from others so I had it all to myself and spread out all the while relishing the solitary time talking to God. The other good thing was that entry is free to retirees and old age pensioners all day until 1430 hours when cleaned and made ready for after school lessons.
Swimming pools and the beach were the best things for me when I grew up and have remained so all my life. My parents had friends from their school years who were very wealthy and had amazing homes and swimming pools of their own, and so our family was invited over every summer season for many years. Then there were all those swimming lessons at school and my memories as far back as I can remember were of days at the beach in between days at various private backyard pools. After Mum died we (younger sister and brother) spent all day at the Ashburton pool during the summer months when Dad went to work. Dropped off early in the morning for a day of fun, lying down on our towels in the grassy areas under the shade of trees in between long dips in the cool blue of the water. It was always my dream to own a home with a pool and one was built to suit our specifications in the late 1990s from which our children and ourselves benefited. Then some years later after moving I chose a renovated home in a delightfully quiet cul-de-sac with a pool in contrast to the more modern home without one. It was there that my baptism occurred in addition to another two. Happy, wonderful memories while owning this property. The last 10 years, soon to be 11 this July, our present dwelling has no pool and really no backyard to speak of as it is a standard 3 bedroom courtyard home. This means that it is great for low maintenance purposes yet I do miss the salt water pool, the expansive verandah decking overlooking the pool, the sprawling front and generous backyard, and the front porch area with swing. God gave me the courage to give up this previous lifestyle which did not factor in tithing as purchased the year before He called me, but now He has blessed us with free swimming minus the work involved as we enter our latter years.
Last week the plan was for 3 consecutive hot days at Waterworld but the problem was I had too much of a good thing on the first day which left me with a bad case of sunburn. First degree burns to face, arms, shoulders, neck, and back which became progressively more painful that same evening over a third of my body. While in the pool I felt so fabulously well like a child again, full of exuberant energy and unaware that there was a problem brewing, all the while distracted by the fun of it all. Now I remember always needing to wear a T-shirt to protect my skin as I burnt easily. Hats are not my thing and to swim with a hat on is just not feasible. Skin cream is not my thing either as I have sensitive skin and lots of allergies plus I refuse to use any due to all the harmful cancer causing chemicals. Our skin is our largest organ, it breathes, perspires and absorbs. Next visit will need to wait a few days until healed -- next week is the plan and this time definitely with a T-shirt. Lesson learned. Too much of a good thing is not wise. If wisdom had been exercised then there could well have been fun spread over 3 days instead of overdosing on one day. Silly mistake…a bit like having too many lollies or binge watching TV, except they are really not so good for us in the first place. The point is children need boundaries and supervision. As an adult my boundaries come from God's Word, the Bible, in all decisions and choices.
Moderation is key in sensible pursuits which are beneficial, not harmful. The swimming part was fine as it is extremely good exercise, however it really is common sense to avoid long periods of time under the hot Australian sun if one wants to prevent sunburn. The consequences were painful areas even while just sitting or lying still -- any contact for that matter against a surface caused a degree of discomfort. As the days went by the pain lessened and my skin took on more of a sun-tanned hue instead of the shockingly bright red colour that was scary to me when I looked in the mirror. Then comes the peeling skin. This was a good reminder to take care in all things rather than just focussing on the pool party I had going on in my mind. It was like I was trying to cram in a whole summer of swimming into one day with a childish mindset. We can see throughout the book of Proverbs that God is showing us moderation is key in many pursuits such as eating, drinking, working, sleeping, exercise, and the list goes on. Proverbs 25:16 is just one reference scripture to refer to. Perhaps you may like to do some research on this subject of moderation and learn that it is all about developing character in self control as part of that beautiful fruit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23. We all need reminders at various times to realise that what God says in the Bible is correct and He is always right!