By Sally Marks
Thanks for contributing this story Sally!
by grafitomane
I was crabby yesterday.
Basically I’m an optimistic person, but yesterday I was a grouch.
I had a slight setback regarding our upcoming book, and I was annoyed.
I probably should have taken a walk, but I didn’t. I ate a donut
instead.
I didn’t specifically go
out in search of a donut. A client asked me to meet him at the
Dunkin Donuts shop near my office and I complied. Normally I wouldn’t
have opted for the sugary pastry, but I was in a bad mood and I went
against my better instincts.
Fortunately for me the donut and
hot chocolate were very unsatisfying. Indulgent pleasures generally
are. I get that little sugar high and then a big let down, both
physically and emotionally. After all, it’s January and losing
weight and exercising are always top contenders of my New Year’s
resolutions.
Donut eating is not on the list.
However, I did take some
positive
actions. I mailed a proposal, stopped at the library and checked
out an inspirational book, self help book, and wrote several query
letters
to literary agents. I make it a point that when I suffer a setback
I take immediate steps to counteract it. Unfortunately, I ate
the donut before I took my positive actions.
That evening I went to a
Buddhist
meeting. I saw an unfamiliar face and introduced myself.
Once we started talking I realized I had met her before, but since she
had not been to meetings in a while I didn’t recognize her.
She told everyone she had become busy at work and her once-strong
efforts
to strive for personal growth and work for world peace (basic Buddhist
tenets) had fallen by the wayside. Unfortunately, her dedicated
efforts at work (60-hour work weeks and plenty of stress) took a toll
on her health. She became sick and subsequently lost her job due
to her illness.
However, rather than fall into
a funk over her job loss and declining health, she saw the events as
an opportunity to revive her Buddhist practice. It was inspiring
to listen to her as she made a determination to start anew. She spoke
eloquently and her eyes shone with conviction.
My mood was instantly lifted.
She voiced what a lot of folks face in their life – going through
the motions of living and not really engaging one’s heart. I thought
about the difference of merely writing my goals and making a real
determination
to create a significant change in my life. I realized that simply
writing goals was an intellectual exercise at best and a mere habit
at worst.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m
not advocating a brain bypass. But knowledge by itself is not
the answer. Heart-felt conviction is crucial for embracing change
and obtaining our goals. It’s no wonder I keep writing the same
resolutions year after year. My head was engaged in the process,
but certainly not my heart. After listening to Rosie, I knew I
couldn’t just go through the motions. I needed to make a strong
determination, followed by concrete actions to break through my
donut-eating
complacency. I may like donuts, but I love my life a lot more and I
want to preserve my health.
Like Rosie, we will have times
when we backslide in our efforts. It could be a donut, a grumpy
mood, a harsh word, or even a financial setback such as losing one’s
job. But setbacks are only permanent if we allow them to be.
For me, I’d rather adopt the “Rosie” outlook and make a heart-felt
determination to start anew.
Love and peace,
Sally
For more works by Sally, pick up
thank you for sharing Sally....it was beautiful...
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