Blogs - Chief of Pray Blog

Portion Control

I would pay a lot of money for a little amount of caramel corn. I was cutting through the food court, when my nose took me past Nuts on Clark. Fresh caramel corn was cooking. Lucky for my hips and my teeth, the portions they sell are too large. I’m a very good rationalizer, but even I couldn’t justify paying for a large bag and dumping 5/6ths of it.

That’s what I normally do. If I want a cookie, I break it in half and throw away the rest. At a restaurant, I cut the entrée in half and declare the remaining, untouchable. I’m very into portion control.

I’ve trained myself to be satisfied with smaller amounts of food, but can the same methods be applied to happiness? Can we train ourselves to be satisfied with smaller portions of blessings, or even a little less luck?

There’s an old joke; “If it wasn’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.” That sure seems to hold true for some people I know. My friend Lois was dumped by her husband of twenty years. A few months later her younger sister died after a short, but painful, battle with cancer. She lost her mom to Alzheimer’s and lost her job to the lousy economy. If it wasn’t for bad luck, Lois would have no luck at all.

But Lois has abundant blessings. My friend uses portion control to allow only small servings of lousy luck to affect her happiness. She has an amazing spirit that filters out the lousy and lets in the lovely. She can more easily tell you what’s right in her life than she can remember what’s wrong.

Ah… to be blessed with spiritual self-control! I believe we all have the ability to learn how to live a life of smaller portions. Make up your mind to be happy with the little things that cross your path. Get in the habit of pushing aside what is not good, and then forget about it. Let your prayers take you to a place where less is more.

Thank You for simple pleasures
that fill my heart with gratitude:
the kiss of color in a masterpiece of sky,
the refreshing coolness
of yogurt in the morning light,
a clean, comfortable bed
at the end of the day.

In my blessed abundance,
help me understand why
there is such disparity in the world.
Help me recognize
the need in anotherʼs eyes
and help me use the resources
You have given me to make a difference.
Please help all Your children
find the will and the way
to share our incredible wealth.
Help us remember that as children,
we learned to play fair.

-Sharon Sinclair