2. Proportion
2. PROPORTION
This drawing shows two boys eating breakfast in a restaurant. Both paid a nickel for their order. One kid seems satisfied and ready to eat what he ordered. The other kid appears to be in the middle of complaining about what he received, how it was cooked, or the amount he was given. What accounts for the difference between their reactions? The happy kid got much less food and so logically, he should be the one getting angry, right?
Here’s the thing. Each one has their own conception of what is “enough”. Until someone believes they have enough, it’s hard for them to feel truly satisfied. In this picture, each kid is judging their meal in proportion to what they expected.
The definition: “Proportion – The relation of one portion to another, or to the whole of one th
ing to another as respects magnitude, quantity, or degree.”
Before I got into recovery, I never seemed to get enough. No matter what I had, it seemed like the wrong amount. I either thought I had too little of whatever I wanted or I would overindulge and end up feeling shame, guilt and remorse. I was guaranteed to never find peace, sanity, or happiness.
As I went through the Twelve Steps, I learned a practical way to separate the true from the false within myself. I could finally see how much was truly enough and that allowed me to stop feeling constantly angry and discontented. I regained a realistic sense of proportion and could live a normal life as a result.