Good Girls Never Tell...

Temptation (n.): the desire to have or do something you should avoid; enticement

The fact that even God’s first creatures Adam and Eve couldn’t avoid it says a lot about the human compulsion to do things you know you shouldn’t. At the core of every temptation, there is the desire to feel alive. By giving into desire, we are choosing to live instead of simply spending the rest of our lives asking “What if?” When I think back on the things I’ve done whether good or bad (depending on who you ask), I have never had a single regret. How do we expect to learn in life without experiencing everything, even those things that aren’t always good for us? There are only a hand full of times I can recall resisting, yet I have a lot of smiles to go with the memories of those times I didn’t resist.

“I deal with temptation by yielding to it.” - Mark Twain

So, why not give in? What is there to lose? Only your sense of adventure…only the chance to bring a bit of excitement to your everyday boring life. Yet I ask myself in this game of temptation, am I the snake? Or am I the manipulated? Or perhaps we could go as far to say Adam & Eve were simply naïve to the consequences. Well, honey I’ve never been naïve when it came to temptation. I have always been well aware of what I was getting myself into. Even if there were some unknown factors going in, they were most likely responsible for my final verdict to take the plunge. So, are those who falter to temptation just thrill seekers in disguise? Or are we the ones who live our lives while others are simply tourists in our fun-filled worlds?

“I generally avoid temptation unless I can’t resist it.” - Mae West

Ah, you know how much I love Ms. West and her profound knowledge she sheds onto life. I think there are some who seek out trouble, but I swear I do not go looking for those things which tempt me. I believe they are drawn to me…I’m like the devil’s candy. When I want to, I can be quite charming and stir up the hive without even realizing it. More often than not, I’m not the snake…I’m just the forbidden fruit. I guess it’s my own fault for letting others take a bite when they should’ve just eaten from someone else’s garden. [It’s a metaphor - get your minds out of the gutter!]

All in all, it comes down to this…if you give into your impulses then be sure you’re going to be okay with the results. Don’t do anything you know you’ll regret. We all have different takes on what we’ll regret and what we won’t. Live your life. Take chances. Dare to do the things that will make you wonder if you don’t do them. Stop worrying about what others will say. Live your life & ignore them. Maybe that will encourage them to do the same for themselves. As Shakespeare once said, “To thine own self be true.” That means never back down if it’s something your heart truly desires. Your head doesn’t know how to feel…that’s why you were given a heart.

As for me, lead me not into temptation, I can find the way myself.