The was a Star Trek (TNG) episode once where the Enterprise was assailed by wave after wave of some sort of force. The intensity of the waves kept increasing, due to something they called “the Harmonic Amplification effect.” (Yes, I’m a big nerd.)
Anyway, the more they turned up the shields, the more powerful the waves became, until they came close to destroying the ship. (!!!)
It was very tense.
Eventually, it occurs to Data (the resident android) to drop the shields completely. And, of course, the wave then passes over the ship with barely a ripple. If they had maintained the super-strong shields, the ship would have been ripped apart.
Moral of the story: Don’t fight temptation, or it will kill you.
(What? That’s what I got out of it. *grin*)
Okay, that’s maybe a little too broad. What I really mean is, if you choose your temptation battles, you can keep them winnable.
For instance, if you give in to something like this:
Then you might not snap and scarf down something like this:
Or, if you occasionally partake of this:
Maybe you won’t feel so deprived that you binge on the whole supply:
Read a steamy romance novel, or drool over a hunk (or hunkette) on TV or the Internet now and then…
(What? Picard is hawt.)
… and maybe your neighbor who mows the lawn in skimpy clothing won’t look tempting.
You see what I mean? A little indulgence now and then is like innoculating yourself against wallowing in a cesspool of excess. (Hmm. Would that be an “excesspool”?)
It’s like “Lid Sid” here— 
He holds the lid up just enough to let off a little steam so your pot doesn’t blow.
Isn’t that brilliant? Giving into the small temptations is like having your own virtual Lid Sid with you all the time!
Okay, you know what you need to do.
Go! Have an ice cream cone right now! Or, if it’s not too early, a drink. (Do it for Sid!) Save yourself from the excesspool before it’s too late!
So, what’s your weakness? Chocolate? Salty snacks? Jim Beam? Steamy romance novels?
I LOVE your Lid Sid analogy (and Lid Sid himself- how cool is that?) and it’s so true. A little bit of the good stuff every so often is way better than the constant resistance and the eventual blow up (or in my case, binge).
Isn’t Sid cool? I think I have to get one. Maybe several, just to hang him odd place around the house.
Why, thank you! I’d love an ice cream right about now. LOL
I think there is something to giving into temptation in small doses.
I have a candy bowl out in my living room. I guess because it’s there and we can have it whenever we want, it sits there full for quite a long time. Even my kiddo isn’t affected. But…
when her friends come into the house, I have to put it away and out of sight because they’re like little seagulls. LOL
TG had a friend like that when he was a kid, only with TV instead of candy. No TV allowed in that kid’s house, so all he wanted to do when he came over to TG’s was watch, watch, watch.
Guess the ticket is moderation, huh?
i love this theory because i think it’s very valid. growing up, we always had a pantry stocked with sweets and treats and it was to the point where i’d walk in and walk back out, my eyes glazing over at all the possibilities. but then my friends would come over and they’d barely say hi to me because they’d be so busy heading straight into the pantry and they’d always come out with the yummiest looking things. because it was always there, i was uninterested.
however, nowadays, living alone, i’m in charge of the groceries and i only buy things i like, which is too bad because the moderation thing doesn’t work then. that bag of chocolate flipz (or ice cream carton or bag of chips, etc. etc.) calls to me until i eat it all! eek. help!
Well, one thing I HAVE noticed (unfortunately): food gets louder as I get older. It gets stickier, too. As in, it sticks to my hips. 😉
I agree 100% and I NEED a Lid Sid!!!
I know! I love Sid. 🙂
Totally agreed. I’ve always been a firm believer in everything in moderation. Nothing is 100% off limits because you’re right, it does make it too tempting. My weakness isn’t chips or ice cream per se, it’s food in general. Any and all kinds. I love to eat and spend a lot of time thinking about what I’m going to eat next. Kind of a sickness. Now that I think of it, I’m not sure why I don’t write about food considering the amount of time I spend with it floating around my brain. My characters pretty much never eat, or it’s mentioned very briefly. Huh! The things you notice about yourself!
The thing to remember is that part of “everything in moderation” includes the, yanno, moderation. In other words, you can’t be too strict about that “moderation”–sometimes you have to break free and indulge. 😉
“Excesspool”! Still giggling! You’re right – a little bit of indulgence is good for the soul. (Also, I don’t have the self-discipline to deprive myself. I prefer to call this “moderation”.)
Ice cream is a separate food group for me – I keep at least four flavours in my freezer at all times – I currently have six. But I only need a little dish once a day. It’s all about keeping a steady blood-ice-cream level.
I’m not good at refusing beer, either, but I usually only indulge once a week. Unless somebody offers me one…
LOL! What you mean is, you only BUY beer once a week. 😉
And ice cream refuses to stay in my freezer long enough for me to build up a good selection. It JUMPS out at me, right into my mouth.
Okay–where can I get me a Sid Lid??? (Checking link in 3…2…)
The fact that you love the Trek makes me love YOU even more, Deb Linda. (And several of my college modmates were madly in love with Picard so yes, the man has it.)
Ditto on everything, Linda. But then, I am the poster child of giving in to the above temptations (well, except for the skimpily-dressed-lawn-moving neighbor. Though I will admit to oogling my husband when he mowed the lawn in our old house. Does that count?)
Yes, ogling your husband totally counts. I do it all the time.
(Er, TG, that is. Not your husband. Though I’m sure he’s quite ogle-worthy. Um, maybe I better stop now…)
Hee hee…
Chocolate, yes. Salty snacks, yes. Not a Jim Beam girl but Sangria, yes. Steamy romance novels, yes, yes, yes!
Oh wait, was I meant to choose one?
My philosophy is “Why choose if you don’t have to?” 😉
Left to my own devices, I’m very good at moderating my chocolate intake, because I rarely succumb to the temptation to purchase it. However, my husband likes to buy chocolates FOR me. For example, one time when I was in the hospital, I asked him to bring me ONE little Hershey bar with almonds. Just one. Just enough to get a taste, you know? So what did he do? Brought me a grocery bag filled with jumbo-sized bars. Another time, he bought me a box of candy as big as the top of our coffee table. (And it’s NOT a small table, either.) Once the darned stuff is on hand, there is NO REST in my butt until I eat every delectable bite. I’m not sure, but I think he’s trying to fatten me up. (And succeeding!)
everything in moderation except for chocolate, I always say. I keep the good stuff on hand (no chocolate-colored wax in my chocolate cupboard) and have a little every day.
Darnit, now that dark chocolate with sea salt bar is calling me…..
As long as I can eat it while writing. Or reading. Then it’s not a distraction, right?