DIY Happiness

I craved BBQ ribs! And, you know how that goes. Once you get an idea or desire stuck in your head it remains there until satisfied. It should be no surprise to those who know me that my hankering’s typically involve food.

On this occasion, satisfaction was only five minutes away. In middle Georgia, where I spend my winters, there’s a BBQ restaurant that serves two of my favorite foods—ribs and brisket.

Knowing it would be futile to try to ignore my urge for sticky, BBQ, fall-off-bone pork ribs, I headed directly to Scott’s BBQ only to discover that, by the time I got there, they had sold out. Although very good, I was dissatisfied with the brisket I ordered in its place.

Days passed, but the longing for ribs remained—and so did the disappointment.

Full Stop!!!

How absurd is that? My discontent was extremely subtle and completely senseless. Like an itch I couldn’t scratch, it wouldn’t go away. It took days for me to realize that this one minor episode had settled into my head in the most unhelpful way.

It wasn’t until I stood in front of the meat cooler at the grocery store that it occurred to me that I had allowed myself to feel let down (see how ridiculous this is?).

I took matters into my own hand. I bought a rack of ribs. I coated them with dry rub. I slow-cooked and then slathered them with my favorite BBQ sauce. Then I feasted on the sticky, fall-off-bone BBQ pork ribs!

As silly as I feel revealing this story, it was an important reminder for me.

The smallest amount of emotional unconstructiveness can hinder our desire to be happy. And there’s no need to rely on others to be happy. We all have the means (and maybe obligation) to do it ourselves.

"Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself in your way of thinking." — Marcus Aurelius