Variety, it is said, is the spice of life! Knowing which spices and how much to add to a dish is the mark of a "well seasoned" chef! Likewise, adding just the right amount of flavor and variety will enrich our days without overpowering them.

Just as too much seasoning dulls the taste buds, constant busyness or too many choices can dull our appreciation. The wonderful, enriching activities we do loose their value if they become a blur of obligations.

Even things like food and clothing can become a chore due to misused variety. If you usually wear one style of clothing, but decide to expand your horizons for some cute new and different style you may find that the shoes that went so well with everything else in your wardrobe look ridiculous with the new outfit!  Instead of just adding one dress to your closet, you find you may find yourself adding a dress, accessories, a new pair of shoes, and a purse, and a sweater.  Likewise, kitchen and pantry can become taxed (as can our shopping and planning time) if we overdo variety.

Choose the spices that go best with the specific recipe. What may be a fantastic addition to one dish (or one season of life) may not blend well with activities or commitments at other times.

Some local friends of ours still chuckle when remembering their young daughter’s baking fiasco. After reading the cookie recipe, she went to the pantry to get the spice jars. Unfortunately she misread one spice and mistook C-A-Y-E-N-N-E for C-I-N-N-A-M-O-N! Now, cayenne is a wonderful spice, but it wasn’t quite right for those cookies! The family found the "fire cookies" that resulted quite inedible, and the girl learned a spelling lesson.

Sometimes we get into a rut and need to add some spice! Often though we over-season. Just as in the culinary arts, there is a fine balance to seasoning our lives.