Grasping?

If we grasp too tightly we just might leave a mark and the mark we leave behind may be more than just our fingerprints, it might be our freedom.

Grasping is a form of emotional masochism. The dictionary’s definition of emotional masochism says that I find some strange or subtle pleasure in the act. At the moment, I don’t feel a sense of “pleasure” in the process, well at least none that I recall as I ponder this definition. As I read a little further it says the act may involve a sense of familiarity or self-justification. Bingo! Now, this sounds familiar, ha. In hindsight, there has not been a time where I experienced lasting happiness while grasping at anything, in fact, it was just the opposite. Grasping only led to physical and emotional pain and yet I seem to be drawn to the payoff of this Bingo game of familiarity and or self-justification because I keep playing. Grasping resembles a vampire, it will eventually suck the life out of you.

Do you know how they catch monkey’s in other countries? They dig a hole and fill it with peanuts or a banana. The hole is big enough for a monkey to insert his empty hand but once he grabs the food he is unable to release his hand from the trap because he refuses to let go of his bonanza.

How often do we cling to things thinking it will be the one thing that will make us happy? If we let go of our grip we can enjoy what we have, our freedom to make a wiser decision. 

Today I get to practice not getting myself stuck in the trap of short term happiness. Wish me luck. I am trying not to justify why I feel the need to consume the entire bag of mini dark chocolate bars in the fridge when I already had one.