Food For Thought: April 22nd

Happiness

Happiness is rarely achieved by pursuing it. We compulsive overeaters used to think that food could make us happy, but we found that it could not. Many of us tried other substances, too, such as alcohol, drugs, or money. When these also failed us, we may have decided that only a perfect partner could make us happy. Alas, we soon discovered that there are no perfect individuals, only ordinary people with faults like our own.

So where does happiness fit in? At some point along the line, we abandon the frantic pursuit of an external object of happiness and begin to work on ourselves. As we go through the Twelve Steps, we become less self-centered and more focused on a Higher Power. As we are able to concentrate more on His will and less on our own, we find that periods of happiness come as a by product. Paradoxically, when happiness is no longer our goal, we have more of it.

In You, there is joy.

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Happiness lies within. Frantically looking for it in food & booze & spending money is a waste of a life.  Unfortunately, it's taken me decades to realize this, tons of yo yo dieting, and an awful lot of heartache.

When I put aside my self-centered attitude, admitting that the world doesn't revolve around me me me, I focus on helping others through doing God's will.

When I stop insisting on happiness, paradoxically, that is when I find it.

For today, I will appreciate the small blessings in my life and find happiness as it comes.