They say practicing moderation is a good thing.

They say less is more.

They tell us to know when to say when.

Consistently, we go too far. We indulge, we stay up too late, we forget moderation.

We swing like a pendulum, one day abstaining from all things indulgent, the next day seemingly doing our best to satisfy every corner of our lives as though it’s our last day of living. Inevitably, we swing back the other way, we repent and the cycle repeats.

I’ve had a splitting headache for the better part of the afternoon, so I finally broke down and took a couple ibuprofen for it tonight. As someone who gets headaches often, I decided at the store tonight that I’d invest in the econo-sized bottle o’ pain reliever. Reading the back of it a while ago, however, brought a few things into perspective. One, follow the dosage instructions. An issue in one area of your life can quickly become two or three if you overdo the solution. Two, adhere to the remedy’s recommended frequency. Too little and the ailment won’t go away. Too frequent and that can have implications, as well.

Last, avoid high humidity and excessive heat. Amusing, since we’re in August and all. But if our remedy doesn’t like the high heat, perhaps we should stay out of it, too. Done and done, I say. Sometimes life’s guides are found in the most interesting of places. Tonight I am thankful for the advice given to me by the back of a bottle of ibuprofen. For now, I’m off the hit the hay…right after I turn the A/C back on.