"run and not be weary" part 4

In the past month or so, I've had an intense dilemma as to what my goals should be. Should I find a way to have more energy? Lose the blues? Kick off those few extra pounds? Eat more vegetables? Eat only vegetables?

It's quite confusing, really, and concentrating on those little details pulls me down quite a bit. So to close this segment of "Run and Not Be Weary," I'd like to quote part of a sermon from one of the leaders of the church I belong to:

"In the beloved children’s story Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the mysterious candy maker Willy Wonka hides a golden ticket in five of his candy bars and announces that whoever finds one of the tickets wins a tour of his factory and a lifetime supply of chocolate.

Written on each golden ticket is this message: “Greetings to you, the lucky finder of this Golden Ticket … ! Tremendous things are in store for you! Many wonderful surprises await you! … Mystic and marvelous surprises … will … delight, … astonish, and perplex you.”

In this classic children’s story, people all over the world desperately yearn to find a golden ticket. Some feel that their entire future happiness depends on whether or not a golden ticket falls into their hands. In their anxiousness, people begin to forget the simple joy they used to find in a candy bar. The candy bar itself becomes an utter disappointment if it does not contain a golden ticket.

So many people today are waiting for their own golden ticket—the ticket that they believe holds the key to the happiness they have always dreamed about. For some, the golden ticket may be a perfect marriage; for others, a magazine-cover home or perhaps freedom from stress or worry.

There is nothing wrong with righteous yearnings—we hope and seek after things that are “virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy.” The problem comes when we put our happiness on hold as we wait for some future event—our golden ticket—to appear.

... The happiest people I know are not those who find their golden ticket; they are those who, while in pursuit of worthy goals, discover and treasure the beauty and sweetness of the everyday moments. They are the ones who, thread by daily thread, weave a tapestry of gratitude and wonder throughout their lives. These are they who are truly happy."

- President Dieter F. Uchdorf, Forget Me Not

On our journey to optimum health, let us not forget to savor the everyday moments. These are the moments that make life worth living-- healthy bodies and minds just enhance the experience even more!

To read past posts on this topic, click here.