Hissy Fit - January 2026 - Truly: Enough is Enough

January 2026 Issue
by Elizabeth Skenes Millen

It’s only January, and I’m already saying enough is enough.
But when is enough actually enough?
I have to wonder because I feel as though daily life has
become a navigational puzzle of delineating between having enough but not feeling like it’s enough, having enough and wanting more, or having too much but continuing to be a vacuous glutton for more.

Isn’t glutton a disgusting word? It even sounds nasty, as it should. Gluttony is one of the Seven Deadly Sins and is defined as the overindulgence and overconsumption of anything to the point of excess. The word is derived from the Latin gluttire, which means “to gulp down” or “to swallow.”

Just think of all the things we “swallow” whole these days believing them as truths and needs. One of the first things that comes to my mind is the massive consumption we have come to believe is necessary, such as people building homes where every child’s room has a massive ensuite bathroom of its own. While this is extremely nice, it is so unnecessary. Yet somehow, we have swallowed this luxury ideology hook, line, and sinker. Last time I checked, children can share a bathroom and not be scarred for life.

The question remains, though, when is enough enough? I guess it varies for each individual, but I think the “enough meter” stays more balanced based on a person’s need for external things for validation and their level of gratefulness. I promise, the child with an attached bathroom nicer than most people’s master baths, takes it for granted. It’s amazing how having it all is never enough, yet doing without tends to evoke appreciation of what you have. Well, there’s two concepts that make you go hmmm…

The whole idea for this article came to me when I was reminiscing about watching cartoons on Saturday morning as a child. I would watch from the moment I woke up until noon, when American Bandstand came on. Once I got into my teen years, I got up later and added Bandstand to my Saturday morning television repertoire, if Mom would allow it. That was considered a long time to watch TV when she wanted my room cleaned, plus the grocery shopping had to be done, and I always went with her.

Then, 1992 rolled around, and Cartoon Network was born. What could be better than cartoons 18 hours a day, every single day? Guess what? The gluttony of cartoons not only stole the magic away from Saturday mornings, it also reduced the quality of cartoons. Instead of needing five hours of cartoons on three channels, one day a week, 18 hours of cartoons were needed seven days a week, not including Saturday mornings. Of course, then the law of supply and demand kicked in, when the cartoon supply increased by 740%, and children lost interest. Not because they didn’t like cartoons, but because cartoons lost their magic. Even children knew enough was enough. Are you beginning to get the picture?

We all just celebrated Christmas, which was wonderful, but did you have a hard time getting Christmas lists from your family members this year? I don’t have any facts to back this up, but I think Christmas lists are down because getting what you want, anytime you want it is up. I’ve been guilty of this for years, along with nearly everyone else. Children have more toys than they could possibly ever enjoy. It reminds me of that vile cousin Dudley from the Harry Potter series who counts his presents and is dissatisfied if it’s not enough regardless of what’s inside—that is classic gluttony mixed with greed, yet another of the Seven Deadly Sins. Showering children—and adults—with too much is simply too much! Have you ever seen a 4-year-old at his own birthday party? He gets a zillion gifts but is attracted most to the cardboard box one of them came in. At heart, we are simple humans. Simple is calmer, peaceful, processable and manageable. Could it be true that less really is more?

Let’s recap what we know thus far:
1. Enough is Enough;
2. Too much is not enough;
3. Less is more;
4. Enough can be enough if you want what you have;
5. Too much is too much.

It’s all so very confusing, so to make matters worse, let’s delve a little deeper, away from material things and into the bottomless pit of the digital world, where honestly, enough was enough in 2009. Since then, it has become the zombie-like, caged hell of scroll addiction that has no beginning and no end—it’s a world without end, but not a world in which we want to live. Though, we do live there, and we do so by conscious decision. Stop. I feel a conscious decision coming on.

Perhaps enough is enough. Isn’t it true that we all have our limits? Did you know we rarely change unless it becomes too painful to stay the same? I am starting to find it painful to be privy to unlimited opinions, unlimited photos, unlimited droning on, and unlimited general BS. I don’t want to fill my body, heart, mind, or soul with all this useless digital fodder. I’m beginning to look at television programs, news channels, social media apps, posts, reels, and all the uninformed opinions as “guests” and ask myself if I want to invite them into my home, or worse, into my mind? Most of the time the answer is no. Why? Because 1. Enough is enough; 2. Less is more; and 3. Too much is gluttony.

And, how about just because “I say so?” How’s that for enough explanation? (And with that declaration, I donned my yoga pants, put on a cute pair of tennis shoes, strolled to the beach, contemplated throwing my phone in the water, and enjoyed the sunrise—and no, I did not take 37 pictures of it and post it before getting back to car!)