It’s Alright, in Moderation

Have you ever noticed that so many of the things that make us feel so good in life are great… but then they carry some bad consequences on their proverbial coat tails? This is the case with chocolate and other tasty treats, that’s for sure. What do they say about that, a moment on the lips but a lifetime on the hips? How sad, that something which feels so good at the time ends up being so painful in another way for so long later on. Unfortunately, far too many things need to be scaled back more and more as you get older, just because you can only handle so much of them.

Take gambling, for instance. If you have ever walked into a casino and passed the poker tables, you know that you just missed out on your highest likelihood of actually leaving the place with any money in your pocket. While poker is a game where there is skill and subtlety which you have to master, far too many of the games there are well aware that once they get you under their spell, there is no escape for you or for the contents of your wallet. It’s almost sad, in a “you brought it on yourself” kind of way.

What is happiness, beyond the thrill of doing something that doesn’t happen often (like winning at gambling)? Is it going through an experience which ought to hurt you, and it somehow doesn’t (like walking blindfolded across a busy highway)? Is it the thrill of talking to someone really good looking (which can also really hurt, if they’re going steady with somebody who’s jealous)? This happiness stuff might actually need to come into our lives in moderation, if for no other reason than that if we do these kinds of things too often, our luck may end up running out. That would be bad.