Situational Happiness

Hubby and I have coined a phrase: "situational happiness".  It's happiness that is based on your situation.  It's people who are happy when they have the big house and the expensive car but not when they don't, or people who are happy when they're winning at something but not when they aren't, or people who are happy when they're thin but not when they're fat.  It's something that everyone does at some point, but that we should all try to minimize.  The idea was linked to our reading of Philippians 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: rejoice!"  He didn't say rejoice all the time for no reason (i.e. he didn't say "be a ditz"), he said rejoice in the Lord.  That is what we can, and should, rejoice about.  And it's something that never changes, fades, or leaves.  But it's worth noting that he didn't promise we'd be able to rejoice in our home, our job, our looks, or anything else we tend to obsess about.  We've got God, and that's all we're guaranteed.  It's enough.  This is not supposed to be a sermon on materialism or how to "stay positive", this is a way of introducing the thoughts that have been on my mind lately.

Diet and exercise are very similar in some ways.  I have a problem with situational success.  I keep thinking "when" this or that happens, I'll do better.  "I can't eat right at the moment, X is in the way.  I don't have time for exercise because of Y.  M and N are keeping me from doing my homework.  Once ABC is out of the way, I will totally write that screenplay.  I would pass on that doughnut, but I had a bad day today and I deserve it.  No, I haven't lost weight yet, but when this semester is over it's really gonna melt off."  I do the same thing with my to-do list that I used to do with my happiness.  I still catch myself on a situational happiness note sometimes of course, but trust me, it's miles better than when I was 18.  But I don't think I've made any progress at all on situational dieting. 

I need to remember that the decisions I make do not require any outside help.  I can do what I need to do to lose this weight, no matter what else is going on.  I need to stop waiting for the Right Time, because that time is always Now.  I don't need things to make me happy, and I don't need a perfect situation before I can get off my butt and go jogging either.  I've always admired resourceful people, people who can do amazing things in the strangest and most dire situations.  It's why I want to be Michael Weston.  :-)  But there's no reason why I can't be like them!  So what if I have other stuff going on?  I have time to watch Hulu, so I have time to beat the pavement.  So what if I hurt?  I can work some other muscle group.  So what if I am sad?  I can cry, hug a friend, or eat a sweet homemade sugar free fruit popsicle!  There are always options.  God promised that He'd never let us see a temptation that we didn't have the strength or means to deny.  I truly believe that as an American citizen in this day and age, I (nor you) will not face any diet-related challenge that we do not have the resources and the drive to overcome.  Not because God promised it (because He didn't and to say He did would be a misuse of Scripture) but because we are SO LUCKY here in this country.  Our children are not being kidnapped and forced to fight wars, there's no malaria outbreak, there's no dictator bombing his own people...being fat is my biggest problem right now.  I need to stop complaining, stop excusing, and stop waiting and GO.

Good luck to you all,
JadeAmber