Attachment Gone Wild

I was talking with a friend this morning about feeling attached to feeling good. We all want to just feel good, don't we? We all want to be happy all the time. But, each time we feel really good in life, there's often a little voice that pops up suggesting to hold on for dear life or else it might go away forever.

Well, it's partly right. It usually does go away at some point. I know that wasn't the answer you were hoping for. But, life gets in the way. Things set us off. People piss us off. We get irritated, angry, scared, embarrassed, hurt and any other negative emotion you can think of. The very fear that speaks to us in the soft, unassuming voice is the very reason it goes away. 

Although the "feel good" feeling goes away at times, it does return. But, not if we clutch fearfully. Not if we're attached to the expectation of feeling good. And why can't we expect to feel good even most of the time, if not all the time? And why can't we expect things and experiences in life that contribute to our feeling good? Because fear = feeling crappy and love = feeling good, if not great.

There's a difference between wanting to feel good and being attached to expecting to feel good. When I'm scared about losing it, I feel crappy because my expectations come from a place of fear and neediness. "B-bye," it says. When I enjoy it worry-free, I feel good because my desire come from the opposite of fear - love. I may desire to feel good, but I'm not attached to the desire or the expectation.

Of course I didn't make this stuff up. Ask Buddha.