| I hate moderation. I hate doing things | | | | To quote McCauley Culkin, the font of wisdom |
| moderately. I hate having to be controlled, | | | | and good choices, "I don't think so."Part of |
| mature, and disciplined. I don't want to | | | | the wonder of new romances is doing things |
| moderate how much I eat or drink. I don't | | | | "over the top;" being infatuated and going |
| want to be moderate with sex, or playing, or | | | | with it through cards and flowers and three |
| vacations. I don't want to moderate what I | | | | hour phone calls and getting into work late |
| say for fear it will offend. I don't want to | | | | and tired. Real passion for something makes |
| do what's "good for me."I DO want to have a | | | | other things seem like white noise and |
| second piece of pie because it tastes good. | | | | static. Passion almost demands that other |
| Sometimes, I do want to have hot sweaty sex | | | | stuff be put aside so you can be excessive. |
| at night and again in the morning because it | | | | For a year, I wrote most of my first book |
| tastes good. I want to run to the roller | | | | Stepping Stones, between the hours of 9:00 |
| coaster at Disneyland with the rest of the | | | | p.m. and 2:00 a.m. and on weekends feeling |
| nine-year-old boys. But I can't.The pie is | | | | possessed with a sense of needful urgency to |
| bad for my weight and cholesterol. The | | | | write. I'm ashamed to admit that it was great |
| morning sex will disturb my exhausted, | | | | even though I didn't spend as much time with |
| sleeping wife and negatively affect my | | | | my family.As I look back, I think the times |
| marital relational love. The other parents at | | | | I've been happiest in my life, I have been |
| Disneyland will think I'm weird.We all know | | | | obsessed and passionate about something: |
| what moderation, control, and discipline | | | | school, a woman, building my career, |
| really means. It means, "I don't get to have | | | | exercise; the occasionally sublime nexus |
| what I want. I get to watch other people have | | | | moment I talk about in Steppingstones. At |
| what I want; and seem to get away with it. I | | | | these times, I am almost never moderate. I |
| get to convince myself that raw vegetables | | | | don't always feel out of control; but I am |
| taste as good as a Krispy Kreme. I don't just | | | | definitely excessive with my priority, big |
| delay my gratification, I simply don't 'get | | | | time; making everything else number two; |
| no satisfaction.'"I know I need to be | | | | figuratively of course.Are passion and |
| somewhat moderate, disciplined, and | | | | purpose something you have to balance? Or |
| controlled to live life effectively and for a | | | | does being passionate help you with your |
| long time--both of which I want. But what | | | | purpose and vice versa? If you try to balance |
| about the juice of life--passion? I love | | | | hedonistic passion and mature, effective |
| being passionate. Does passion have room for | | | | living, are you cheating yourself out of |
| discipline and moderation or does it eat | | | | both? Can you hurl yourself into the moment |
| them? Does sensual, hedonistic, glorious | | | | and be moderate?I need to go now. My spinach |
| pleasure have to wear the belt of moderation? | | | | salad and diet 7-UP are getting warm. |