The Peace of Purpose

As I continue on my journey of indulgence more and more I am reminded that it is the small, often no cost or low cost things that provide the most consistent indulgence for me.

For years my love of reading has been squashed by my busy life. I would sneak in a few moments here and there but my passion for it wained the more I neglected it; like a plant deprived of light and substance. During this challenge my love of reading is reborn. This did not happen immediately but now after a few days of pure indulgence I am enjoying the peace, calm and feeling of pure indulgence that reading gives me.

Last night I sat on the couch like a cat stretching and sighing in ecstasy a deep smile of contentment on my face as I read. Yesterday tension had began to build up in me and a desire for the quick indulgence of red wine began to bounce around my mind early in the evening. Instead I made a conscious choice to satiate myself in other ways first. I ate, drank some water, created a calm environment and meditated and then went upstairs and read. The minute I picked up my book and settled into the couch a calmness and peace settled into me. It was exactly the same feeling as the zen of red wine. Now isn't that interesting, red and read creating the same reaction!

Wayne Dyer speaks of the peace that comes when you are "on purpose". I interpret this to the peace of aligning with your core values, who you are and your unique talents and gifts. As I indulge I am indulging my core values, the true essence of who I am. One of my core values is peace and calmness and that value is acting as my gage of how I am doing. Now you may be wondering is red wine honoring my values, because as I just pointed out it also brings me peace and calmness but is that Zen? I believe the answer is yes and no. Another concept Dyer brings up is that we can never have 'enough" of what we don't want. I can have enough reading, I come to a place and I know I have enough or I become tiered and know that is enough. Red wine gives me a false sense of energy and does not satiate me. I never reach the point where I have had enough. This false sense of energy is limited and comes at a cost, I am borrowing Peter to pay Paul, Peter is the future. Borrowing from the future to pay for today. Reading on the other hand feeds and fuels me, the calmness it brings is mine I own it outright, it is not on loan from tomorrow. Now on the other hand if I have one glass of wine, feel satiated, enjoy it purely, not multi-tasking and not seeking intoxication, instead just apreciating it, then I am honoring my core values.

Elements of Pure Indulgences:

• Honor who you are
• You know when you have had enough - they satiate you
• They fuel and feed beyond today - they build reserves
• They work consistently
• Are an experience all by themselves not a means to an end