In life, it is easy to lose sight of what is important. Our focus is always shifting on the many facets of day to day life, and it becomes second nature to feel overwhelmed and buried.

Often we put too much weight on one part of our lives while neglecting the others. I can relate to things in terms of dessert; it makes swallowing some of the harsher realities a little bit sweeter. Lately I have found that I need to take a step back and remind myself that it is all just one big bakery. Maybe I shouldn’t be writing my column when I am hungry, but in the words of Marie Antoinette, let them eat cake.

Life is a delicate balancing act, and recently I have found myself cutting my slice of cake too big. Keeping it all together can be hard; sometimes I overestimate just how hungry I am. It is only after I started eating that I realized maybe I took on too much and that I was biting off more than I can chew.

I have started a new pathway in life and have been putting all of my forks in it. It wasn’t until tonight when I was driving home in tears because I felt so overwhelmed that I came to the realization of my responsibility gluttony. My cake has not been evenly cut and I am giving myself a tummy ache.

I have been putting all of my focus on my career as of late and have been neglectful of my responsibilities in other portions of my life. I let one bad day at the office send me into a downward spiral. I let the flavors of the day run all over the other slices and everything was turning sour. I came to the realization that I needed to take a step back because the other pieces of cake were getting moldy while this one had too many sprinkles.

It’s easy to lose perspective. The other pieces of my life cake are just as important. Relationships, family, friends, my home, my pets, my mental stability: I have been cutting them in slivers the past few weeks.

I am heading back to the bakery. Instead of driving myself to the brink of insanity over the placement of my sprinkles, I am going to instead cut more proportionate slices. While this analogy may seem like the silly rantings of a girl with a sweet tooth, I implore you to look at the plate in front of you to see what is stressing you out right now. Is your diet balanced or do you need to try a different flavor?

How big is the slice of cake that is giving you stress? Remind yourself that it is only a small piece and keep things in perspective. Life is sweet, but too much cake in one sitting can make you sick.

Melissa Hughes
https://www.theweekender.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_girltalk.jpgMelissa Hughes

By Melissa Hughes

For Weekender

Girl Talk began in 2012 as a telltale horror story of the city’s most epic dating disasters and has evolved into a column about love, life experiences and growing up. Melissa also has a weekly Girl Talk TV segment on PA Live and WBRE.