Morning Gratitude: My Top Three Powers

God grants us free will. It is our friend and it is our enemy. I am thankful for the following three powers that help me when I succumb to my will instead of practicing constraint: the sharing, transparent and authentic powers.  These powers helped me with one of my newest weaknesses: Taco Bell’s Cinnabon® Delight.

1. Sharing Power

Yesterday, I asked my son to get some of those tasty devils. He asked if I wanted to share? “No.” Really, I didn’t. I told him that I would love to go in the closet and not only eat it all myself but also growl at anyone that came near the box. I wanted him to tell everyone in the household that he was getting it. Sharing counteracted my ability to eat all the Cinnabon Delights® myself.

2. Transparent Power

When the Cinnabon Delights® arrived, I wanted to just get lost in them. I iterated to my son, I was not sharing out of the goodness of my heart. This was not a saintly act — it was an act that came out of pure guilt. I really did not need even one of those tasty little boogers. However, it did not matter to anyone that my act of sharing did not come from the goodness of my heart — they enjoyed it just as much.

3. Authentic Power

I exercised free will instead of willpower. No, that was not a good look for me or my health. Still, the power of authenticity has so far helped not only in this situation but also in past ones.

• It has reduced the amount of sugar we eat in my household — we have not bought sugar in months.
• Our entire family has reduced the amount of candy we eat — hopefully by the time my grandchildren come, we would have changed our internal makeup so that gene can be eliminated with future generations.
• Sharing our weaknesses has allowed us to support each other in times of weakness. And the times we fail, we are AWARE of it.
• It increased and continue to increase trust.

One day soon — very soon, I will break up with Cinnabon Delight®, like I have with Super Bubble and Subway® peanut butter cookies. Until then, I will use these super God powers —sharing, transparency, and authenticity —to fill in where my humanness fails.