Opposites Attract

I think I have finally figured out what I need to do to live a happy, successful life. I have learned the law of opposites.

The human body is a great example of how opposites attract. When a person doesn’t drink enough water, the body retains water. When a person doesn’t eat enough, the body slows metabolism causing you to hold on to weight rather than lose it. If a male takes steroids, the body responds by shutting down its own ability to produce testosterone. When we weight train, you break down muscle tissue. The body responds by building new muscle tissue.

In as many situations as you can come up with, your body maintains its normal, stable condition by doing the opposite of the stimulus placed upon it. So I have taken a lesson from these God given bodies of ours and have tried to apply the law of opposites to my own life. These are some of the lessons I have learned.

I have learned that I don’t have to take my children to Disney World to give them a great vacation. Some of our best and most memorable vacations were within an hour or so from home. It was not about the destination but rather the time spent together that made it memorable.

I have learned that my children desire my time rather than my money. I learned this recently when I turned off every TV in the house. It was summer and the house was filled with toys and lots of noise from the TV’s scattered throughout the house. My kids had plenty of “things” to occupy their time during the hot summer months. When I turned off the TV’s, I went in a back room to talk to my wife. Before long, all three kids were sitting in the room with us. My entire family was packed into one of the smallest rooms of a 2000 square foot house. Later that night before I prayed with the kids, I ask them to tell me one good thing about their day. My daughter and son both agreed that their favorite part of the day was the hour we sat in that small room talking to one another. I had bought them a big house and plenty of toys but what they valued the most was my time.

I have learned that when I seem to have no energy that I need to expend energy. Everyone has those days when you are dragging. Some chalk it up to being tired or stressed out and treat it by sitting in the nearest Lazy boy chair and watching TV. What I have learned is that the body is not meant to do that. There is an incredible high after exercising. Your body releases chemicals that make you feel better. You tend to get a better night’s sleep and boost your confidence in the process.

Instead of finding things to fill our time I have learned that it is far better to use our time to fill the lives of the ones we love. I have learned that instead of being jealous or envious of someone else, I would rather try to develop characteristics that I respect the most in other people. That is how you develop self-respect. Lastly I have learned that when I think I know it all, I come to realize that I know very little. So the next time I feel self reliant, I will know that it is time to drop to my knees and pray.