“Do not bite at the bait of pleasure till you know there is no hook beneath it.”
– Thomas Jefferson (1743 – 1826) 3rd President of the U.S.
Question ::: What type of pleasures do you seek that cause you to think twice before indulging, lately?
Featured Comment by Margot E. – “All pleasure does not result in pain – some pleasure is short-term (addictive behaviors) and some pleasures can contribute to our decision to choose gratitude and joy (changing my beliefs to reflect the god in me). It is easier for me to choose harmful self-soothing than choosing to do a contrary action. Today, I will work on loving myself; that feels scary at first, as contrary behavior often does. Today I choose my Higher Power over my lower power.”
Once Upon a Dream – Maleficent ‘Dream’ Trailer (1:31)
The Reasons Why We Constantly Seek Pleasures (9:39)
Garden of Self-Realization in LA Meditation (8:41)
A Short Poem or Else Not Say I
by Charlotte Bronte
True pleasure breathes not city air,
Nor in Art’s temples dwells,
In palaces and towers where
The voice of Grandeur dwells.
No! Seek it where high Nature holds
Her court ‘mid stately groves,
Where she her majesty unfolds,
And in fresh beauty moves;
Where thousand birds of sweetest song,
The wildly rushing storm
And hundred streams which glide along,
Her mighty concert form!
Go where the woods in beauty sleep
Bathed in pale Luna’s light,
Or where among their branches sweep
The hollow sounds of night.
Go where the warbling nightingale
In gushes rich doth sing,
Till all the lonely, quiet vale
With melody doth ring.
Go, sit upon a mountain steep,
And view the prospect round;
The hills and vales, the valley’s sweep,
The far horizon bound.
Then view the wide sky overhead,
The still, deep vault of blue,
The sun which golden light doth shed,
The clouds of pearly hue.
And as you gaze on this vast scene
Your thoughts will journey far,
Though hundred years should roll between
On Time’s swift-passing car.
To ages when the earth was yound,
When patriarchs, grey and old,
The praises of their god oft sung,
And oft his mercies told.
You see them with their beards of snow,
Their robes of ample form,
Their lives whose peaceful, gentle flow,
Felt seldom passion’s storm.
Then a calm, solemn pleasure steals
Into your inmost mind;
A quiet aura your spirit feels,
A softened stillness kind.
REFELECTING HOW IT WAS TO WEHERE I AM NOW
the kind of pleasure i seek is attention, to be accepted and loved.
I keep going to AA meetings thinking I’m going to actually enjoy them. The best I can hope for is I don’t hate it. I have to keep reminding myself that may come with time but I just have to show up and do the work. I have to admit even a boring night at the bar was more fun than an AA meeting. I guess I just don’t have enough time in the program. I keep holding on to the thread of hope that it will get better. Going out drinking, it was going to remain the same at best and likely only get worse.
I just bought a ton of cookies and a cake. I’m trying to space out how much I eat but this is one of the reasons why I don’t keep sweets such as these in the house. Already I can tell the ab work I’ve been doing is fading right before my eyes.
All pleasure does not result in pain – some pleasure is short-term (addictive behaviors) and some pleasure can contribute to our decision to choose gratitude and joy (changing my beliefs to reflect the god in me). It is easier for me to choose harmful self-soothing than choosing to do a contrary action. Today, I will work on loving myself; that feels scary at first, as contrary behavior often does. Today I choose my Higher Power over my lower power.