Natural Highs

People that I work with/minister to… try just about anything to find relief from the treadmill life they live in. So do I at times. Sometimes it is just too much and I would like to get out and off! With a mighty roar – I push away life that swallows me and say “That is enough! I have had it!!”

Have you ever experienced that deep anguish in the soul that says – “No more thank you very much.”?

I was in one of those ‘moments’ when not much was going the way it was planned. I opened my email and there was a note from my sister-in-law, Heather. She had posted to my FaceBook a list that was just right for that moment. I present it below for your consideration.

To make it more meaningful, I decided to select from the list of 45 – the ‘Top Ten’ for my life. Then of that list I attempted to whittle it down to three. It took some doing to get it there. Why not give it a try?

1. Falling in love.
2. Laughing so hard your face hurts.
3. A hot shower.
4. No lines at the supermarket.
5. A special glance.
6. Getting mail.
7. Taking a drive on a pretty road.
8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio.
9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.
10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer.
11. Chocolate milkshake (vanilla or strawberry).
12. A bubble bath.
13. Giggling.
14. A good conversation.
15. The beach
16. Finding a $20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter.
17. Laughing at yourself.
18. Looking into their eyes and knowing they Love you.
19. Midnight phone calls from a friend that last for hours.
20. Running through sprinklers.
21. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.
22. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful.
23. Laughing at an inside joke with FRIENDS
24. Soft clean sheets on your bed.
25. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.
26. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep.
27. Your first kiss or the very first ‘anything’ with your partner – and the memories.
28. Making new friends or spending time with old ones.
29. Playing with a new puppy or kitten.
30. Having someone play with your hair.
31. Sweet dreams.
32. Hot chocolate.
33. Road trips with friends.
34. Swinging on swings.
35. Making eye contact with a cute stranger.
36. Making chocolate chip cookies.
37. Having your friends send you homemade cookies.
38. Holding hands with someone you care about.
39. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change.
40. Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present from you.
41. Watching the sunrise.
42. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day.
43. Knowing that somebody misses you.
44. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply.
45. Knowing you've done the right thing, no matter what other people think

Now as you think of the above list, and the possible whittled down list for today…what would you have to do to experience a ‘Natural High’?

The delightful thing is that ‘Top Three’ for me today – may vary from the list for tomorrow. It is wonderful at the end of the day to sit and savor the ones that happened that day.

I sat with a man that is younger than me and listened. As he shared he told me of a friend he has that is caught into cycles of self abuse with alcohol and drugs. His friend is killing himself one small piece at a time. Already there is evidence of memory loss in his young friend.

Another man that I have tried to help over the past years is now suffering deeply. His memory issues are now classified as ‘alcohol related dementia’. He is 57 and cannot remember whole sections of life now. It is the saddest thing that anyone can watch – a man that has lost all the valuable memories, a wife, his kids, and his beautiful grandkids. He is still bright and smiles a lot. But he can remember little. Oh – and yes he still drinks to sooth the feelings he has and get back his high.

Am I down on alcohol? Well it isn’t my favorite ‘high’ when I see what it has done to so many of my friends. Let’s just say that anyone of the 45 things on the above list will never cause me memory loss. Most of them hardly cost a cent – except the chocolate and a drive in the country… And the best part is that the government has yet figured out a way to TAX any of them.

I encourage you today to look over the list – then sit and sort through it. Decide which one you will try today. Go for it!

On this special weekend, I pray that all of the Christian folk that read with us – will find their sense of gratitude as they consider their ‘greatest natural high’ – the love of God that gave them Jesus.

May God richly bless you this Easter Season.

~ Pastor Murray Lincoln ~

Note: The list if From Heather Lincoln… FaceBook March 18, 2008