We make our own bologna sandwiches
"A man may perform astonishing feats and comprehend a vast amount of knowledge, and yet have no understanding of himself. But suffering directs a man to look within. If it succeeds, then there, within him, is the beginning of learning.” - Soren Kierkegaard.
Joe was having a casual lunch with a coworker. They both had lunches in bags they had brought from home. As the coworker unwrapped his sandwich, his face turned melancholy. Joe asked what was wrong? The coworker replied, “Oh nothing really…It’s just that I am really sick of bologna sandwiches and I see I am having it for lunch again today. Seems like I’ve had bologna for lunch every day for the past twenty years.” Joe asked, “Why don’t you just ask your wife to make you something else?” The friend replied “I’m not married.”
The coworker’s dilemma sounds ridiculous doesn’t it? But think for a moment. How many things do we do out of habit that really only cause us distress, that interfere with our lives? The point is most of us would prefer to live the same old failures just because we are afraid to change. But the first step is to admit that we have a problem with bologna sandwiches and that we are making them ourselves. Once we admit we are suffering and that the suffering comes from something we are doing (not from something that others are doing to us), we can learn and implement strategies which can lead us to freedom.
To-do:
Today, ask yourself what you may be doing to cause your own suffering. Ask yourself what you need to change about yourself to make you less fearful and stressed. Do you need to get help with your quest to stay sober? Do you need to realize that holdng a resentment against someone is only hurting yourself? Do you need to make decisions based on humility rather than pride? Don't be afraid to look at what you are doing that may be causing you suffering, then ask someone you trust for help to discover a new way of dealing with you. You will find that there is a wonderful person within you that you will come to actually love!