*This entry was inspired by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf's most recent talk from the General Relief Society Meeting. If you haven't seen it yet, well, what are you waiting for?
We all know what happens. The whole world begins to search for the golden tickets. Every one is in pursuit of these tickets. But along the way, in anticipation for the golden ticket, the JOY and pleasure that once was found in a chocolate bar begins to loose it's appeal. The chocolate bar may have even been tossed to the side, uneaten, if it did not contain the coveted golden ticket.
How many of us are waiting for our golden ticket? The perfect marriage, a home that is clean and stays clean, a life free of stress or worry, enough money...the list goes on and on. We can become so narrow minded and obsessed with these golden tickets that our chocolate bars are literally going to waste.
I ate a piece of fudge before writing this (curse you James for making such succulent fudge!!!) The chocolate melted as soon as it touched my tongue. Chocolate is so warm and friendly because it does this...it melts and spreads to every taste bud, every crevasse of your mouth. It slides down your throat and lands softly in your stomach. It pats you on the back on it's way down and wraps you in comfort. (You are going to the pantry right now for some chocolate, aren't you?)
Okay people!!! What are you waiting for? Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the last golden ticket was just found! You ain't getting one!
ENJOY the chocolate and STOP WAITING FOR YOUR GOLDEN TICKET!!!!
Let the JOY that is all around you seep into every crevasse. Open your heart and mind to the JOY that can penetrate every cell in your body. JOY does not force itself in, but when you create space and opportunity, it melts into every part of you.
Imagine standing before your creator on judgment day and saying, "I just couldn't enjoy the sunset tonight because my favorite show was on and I just couldn't miss it! And I couldn't enjoy my kids today because they were driving me CRAZY and I was waiting for them to sit still and stop fighting. And my husband, well, when he can finally read my mind and for once know what I want and do exactly what I need him to do, then I can enjoy and serve him. Sorry, I just couldn't savor the smell of those autumn leaves cause my laundry was piling up. And forget about after dinner when my daughter was pulling on my pant leg to read her a story! I couldn't sit down and read to her because the dishes were piling up. So sorry...I will do those things tomorrow when life is calmer."
In pursuit of our golden ticket, are we forgetting to be happy NOW? We must be constantly and prayerfully striving for something better, but we can not forget to find JOY in the journey...or chocolate bar.
So let's start enjoying those chocolate bars again, in all their flavors.
Please share with me your golden tickets, and how you are going to savor your chocolate bars more!!! I LOVE feedback.
Well Tausha, you've really had me thinking about what my golden tickets are and I have to say it took me a few minutes. Here's what I'm usually waiting for to be happy: weight loss, clear skin, feeling rested, perfect relationships, having a house of our own, feeling worthy... It comes and it goes. Thankfully it's not a constant state of being as it once was. This is a priority of mine, making room for joy. Which is why I so love these posts.
ReplyDeleteI think for me savoring the chocolates in my life comes from making a choice to do just that, and accepting that life will never be perfect. Specifically: save money for that home, go to bed at a decent time, eat well & be active doing things I enjoy, generally take care of myself and remember that I deserve happiness.
Wonderful Tausha! You are a great writer keep it up. Connie shared this on Facebook for others to enjoy. You should send it in to Sugardoodle- It is ever as good as the ones about the for-get-me-nots! Trim it up a bit and send it in!!!!
ReplyDeleteThis kind of goes with what happened a lot in the military (since we moved around so much), people expecting to be different when they got to their next command. I guess it happens when most people start anything new, new year, new school, new job, etc. But not long after the new starts, it becomes old as well as everything that was planned for it.
ReplyDeleteI thought yesterday about resolutions. What if people actually planned realistic resolutions? An example: I plan on losing 20 pounds, but I'll give up after 5 pounds and keep about the same or gain those 5 pounds back. I plan on exercising every day, but as soon as the weather turns bad or an illness comes along, I'll give up on the exercise and won't start it back up when things are good again.
Taking a moment to look at how we are realistically can help us to plan better and know what gets in the way of our goals. I think that has a deep effect on our happiness.
I guess the golden ticket I'm talking about is goal setting. Or maybe it's setting goals that are not realistic or not maintainable... something along those lines. There's a lot of life being missed because I'm too caught up in how pathetic I am because I can't keep my goals. So, it's not goal setting that is getting me down. I'm not a lazy person. So, I'm looking at life differently. I'm looking at the goals I set. I'm looking at what motivates me, and when I feel great. I decided this morning to set goals that I won't give up on, because I know where my inspiration comes from and it's there constantly.
I had a powerful moment recently. I was going through a bout of sciatica. I had stayed home from work and laid in bed all day. I was paralyzed with fear of causing any pain. I didn't want to feel that way. I asked God what I could do. The answer was to move. Moving was exactly what I didn't want to do. But I knew that moving was the only way to heal from sciatica (at least for me). Run towards the fear. Ever feel that kind of crazy rush of deciding to do something that usually frightens the willies out of you? Sounds strange for this instance, but that's what I felt. I decided to get up and go to work. The pain came from time to time, but less and less. Any other pain was ignorable in comparison. Fear was all a mindset. Pain can be lived with. Fear is immobilizing. It gave me quite a sense of new life. Fear didn't have to be a part of it.