It was January, 2010. I was sitting down to the tiniest plate of the softest, soupiest food I had ever assembled at a potluck.

I cannot imagine how many times I have heard and said, while staring at an insurmountably challenging plate of food, "My eyes were bigger than my stomach."

Simply put: We put too much on the plate because it looked so good — and manageable.

So that night at my birthday-stone-soup-fund-raising-potluck bash, I found myself staring a a much smaller collection of vittles on my plate and, after a few bites, thinking, "My eyes were bigger than my stomach."

Then, before actually uttering the words, I began to chuckle.

That attracted some attention — a grown man chuckling to himself while staring at a miniature hot wing which I knew was a bigger challenge than I could face.

You see, I had recently had a major reduction in the size of my working stomach – a gastric bypass surgery.

I was chuckling at the thought, "My goodness, my eyes really ARE bigger than my stomach now … without question. Lay them on the table beside each other and that is the reality."

So I shared the insight and others joined me in the chuckle which gave me permission for a long and hard belly laugh.

It is a good thing my incisions had already healed.

Be careful lest the excuses of yesterday become the reality of today  … or …

Don't put more on your plate than you can swallow… or …

Don't let your appetites rule your choices … or …

Choose your own application … or …

Just enjoy the laugh.