The menu

My father ran the family restaurant in my childhood years. The restaurant was started in the 1950's by my grandparents and after a brief time out on his own, my dad decided to move home and take over the business so my grandparents could semi-retire (my grandfather never retired - he was too much of a wheeler dealer, a trait he passed down to my brother). I learned at an early age that the restaurant business was brutally hard work and would prove to keep my dad on his toes. Every Monday, the restaurant was closed but dad felt it important to eat out that night at other establishments so he could stay in touch with the current trends and practices of his competition. We visited many different restaurants on Monday nights and I always looked forward to going. It didn't take long for me to pick my favorites and it seemed as if my choices were pretty much in line with the rest of the family. What was the common theme among the best? Those with limited menus... for it seems it was at those places that the food was always best. They may not have had many choices but everything they made, they did with excellence. By contrast, the restaurants that may have had the most choices, never seemed to have any one thing that was spectacular and we also found that the service seemed to be lacking as well. Perhaps the wait staff could not keep up with the choices? got confused? got orders wrong?

So it seems with life. When my choices are limited, that is when I am able to live with excellence. It's when I try to expand my menu that I end up falling short. Problem is, my palate has gotten bland. I'm tired of eating at the same place every day as the menu is rather stale. I'm craving something different or my appetite has increased. I'm not sure exactly what it is that I want, but I keep looking at my limited menu and feeling less than enthused. There are new options before me/us but it's hard to know what menu items to cut in order to make room for the new. I don't believe in simply adding to the menu because that's when quality and service issues arise. And what's the point in expanding if you can't advance with success?

And it still doesn't keep me from looking at the endless menu possibilities and wondering how each item could add to my own menu of life. I guess that's where I need to go consult with the Chef. Perhaps He has His own ideas of how vast my menu should be. I try very hard to have faith in His abilities and promises to make my establishment superior but there is still the fear and doubt that somehow I will miss some direction He gives, or my will might override His. Most mistakes are correctable errors, but not always with the delicacies of life. So for now, I am waiting a bit longer, sampling some more food and hoping the right taste test will help guide me to the perfect menu revision.