Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020
Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
Sometimes I’m awfully impressed by fools. — Kelly Q.
The man who said this memorable line had once believed he might feel better about himself if only he owned more. As an adult child, he felt he had missed out on something and somehow got the idea he could achieve peace by acquisition. So he started to collect things like boats, expensive new cars, better clothes, and so on. His models were people who had all the toys he was now collecting. He listened to them, followed them around, and imitated them. They were his heroes.
Luckily, it didn’t take him too long to discover the truth. As he got to know these people, he saw they were no happier because of what they had. One or two of them were happy, but their happiness didn’t depend on what they had. The rest of them, he learned, were fools who mindlessly looked for joy and meaning outside themselves.
This man’s “recovery by acquisition” experiment was only a slight detour, and he is back on the road to healthy thinking.
He is no fool.
Today, I thank God for peace and happiness and remember these riches are inside, not outside, me.
Hazelden Foundation
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