What goes up…
usually comes down.
But if you keep chasing the next HIGH to escape the next LOW…
you may have built yourself a very expensive merry-go-round.
It can become a vicious cycle.
You wake up one day and discover that you are not really living…
you are chasing.
Chasing the next:
high,
rush,
purchase,
trip,
win,
drink,
romance,
recognition,
or emotional payoff.
Then after the high?
DOWN YOU COME.
And because the low feels unpleasant…
you start looking for another high.
There is the cycle.
Up.
Down.
Up.
Down.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Exhausting.
THE UNIVERSAL LAW
I have always observed that every new high seems to invite a new low.
And every low creates a desire to climb again.
You know the saying:
WHAT GOES UP MUST COME DOWN.
Now whether we call it universal law, human nature, emotional contrast or simply cause and effect…
the practical question remains:
WHY KEEP THROWING YOURSELF UP IN THE AIR…
IF YOU KNOW YOU HAVE TO LAND?
LOL.
PAUSE FOR CAUSE.
Maybe the goal is not to eliminate:
joy,
excitement,
celebration,
or pleasure.
Maybe the goal is to stop making those things SO HIGH…
that ordinary life starts feeling unbearably LOW.
COMPLIMENT THE UNIVERSAL LAW
I prefer something closer to:
STEADY.
A flow.
A rhythm.
A journey where the moment itself has value…
without having to inject emotional fireworks into everything.
You can enjoy something greatly…
without turning it into:
THIS IS THE GREATEST THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ME!
LOL.
Because what happens tomorrow morning?
Breakfast looks pretty dull after that.
That is the problem.
When the emotional bar is constantly raised…
ordinary living begins looking insufficient.
But ordinary living is where most of life takes place.
GETTING EXCITED
Look at Christmas.
People get caught up in:
shopping,
spending,
decorating,
planning,
parties,
travel,
gifts,
food,
expectation.
UP…
UP…
UP.
The anticipation itself becomes part of the high.
Now there is nothing wrong with enjoying Christmas.
I love a good experience too.
But when excitement starts running the whole show…
judgment can leave the room.
Spend too much.
Eat too much.
Drink too much.
Commit to too much.
Run yourself ragged.
Then January arrives.
Bills.
Fatigue.
Quiet.
Reality.
DOWN WE COME.
Maybe the holiday was not the problem.
Maybe the HEIGHT of the emotional climb was.
THE EXCITEMENT BUILDS
Human beings can get swept up.
We see this everywhere.
Crowds.
Markets.
Gambling.
Substance use.
Parties.
Arguments.
Even group behavior that later makes everyone ask:
WHAT WERE WE THINKING?
Exactly.
Sometimes…
you were not thinking.
You were RIDING.
Riding the emotion.
Riding the group.
Riding the moment.
And when the ride stops…
reality is standing there waiting.
That is why discipline matters.
Not to kill enjoyment.
To keep enjoyment from taking over the steering wheel.
SLOW & STEADY SAYS THE TORTOISE
I prefer a steadier journey.
Not dead flat.
Not emotionless.
That would not be living either.
But more like:
slight rise,
slight fall,
adjust,
continue.
Feet on the ground.
Head level.
Center intact.
I want to be able to enjoy:
success
without becoming intoxicated by it.
And handle:
setbacks
without becoming destroyed by them.
That is what I mean by steady.
YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE BORED
Now do not misunderstand me.
Steady does NOT mean:
boring,
dull,
lifeless,
predictable.
NO.
You can laugh.
Celebrate.
Travel.
Fall in love.
Win.
Dance.
Enjoy.
But maybe you do not have to launch yourself into orbit every time something good happens.
LOL.
There is a difference between:
ENJOYMENT
and
EMOTIONAL OVERREACH.
One feeds you.
The other can drain you later.
VACATIONS TAKE US UP AND THEN…
Vacations are a great example.
The anticipation begins.
Where are we going?
What hotel?
What are we eating?
What will we do?
The excitement rises.
Then the vacation begins.
More excitement.
Then somewhere near the end…
a strange thing happens.
HOME starts sounding pretty good.
LOL.
You begin thinking about:
your own bed,
your own chair,
your own kitchen,
your routine.
The high begins settling.
Then you come home.
Now the trip becomes a memory.
Nothing wrong with that.
But it shows how quickly the emotional arc rises and falls.
Why not enjoy the whole process with less pressure?
The planning.
The travel.
The vacation.
The return.
One continuous experience.
THE HONEYMOON PRINCIPLE
Same thing after a honeymoon.
The romance was never supposed to END because the trip ended.
But if all the emotion was invested in the event…
ordinary married life can suddenly feel less exciting.
That is a problem of contrast.
The event became the high.
Daily intimacy looks like the low.
But maybe the daily life was always the real prize.
The honeymoon introduced the marriage.
The marriage is the journey.
Keep that straight.
THE DANGER OF NEEDING MORE
The biggest danger is when yesterday’s high is not enough anymore.
Now you need:
more money,
more excitement,
more risk,
more attention,
more stimulation.
The baseline moves.
What once thrilled you…
now barely registers.
That is when the pursuit itself can become the problem.
You are not enjoying.
You are escalating.
BIG DIFFERENCE.
RETURN TO CENTER
One of the most useful skills in life is learning how to return to center.
After a win?
Center.
After a loss?
Center.
After praise?
Center.
After criticism?
Center.
After excitement?
Center.
After disappointment?
Center.
Not numb.
Not detached.
Centered.
That gives you room to respond instead of react.
WHY THE MIDDLE HAS VALUE
People tend to glorify extremes.
Highest high.
Biggest win.
Worst disaster.
Most dramatic story.
But the middle has enormous value.
The middle is where:
judgment works,
sleep happens,
relationships deepen,
habits form,
work gets done,
health is maintained,
and life continues.
The middle is not failure.
It is HOME BASE.
RICHIE SPEAKS
Here is one Richie rule:
Do not climb so high emotionally that ordinary life starts looking like a disappointment.
Another:
Enjoy the ride…
but keep one hand on the rail.
And one more:
A steady life can still be a very rich life.
PEARLS FROM THE BOOKS
From the spirit of Pearls for the Soul:
“Balance protects joy from becoming exhaustion.”
From the spirit of God I AM:
“Peace does not require the absence of movement, only the presence of center.”
From the spirit of It Is Finished:
“Release the need to keep recreating the high once the moment has already given what it came to give.”
PEARLS INSIGHT
Large emotional swings can make ordinary life feel flatter by comparison.
That does not mean people should avoid:
celebration,
pleasure,
or excitement.
It means there is value in emotional regulation and in maintaining a stable baseline.
A steadier pattern often supports:
clearer judgment,
better recovery,
more consistent relationships,
and less dependence on increasingly intense stimulation.
The goal is not:
NO HIGHS.
The goal is:
DO NOT NEED THE HIGH TO FEEL ALIVE.
PEARLS CONNECTION
This connects directly with WHY GO UP TO COME DOWN…HOLD HER STEADY AS SHE GOES.
The message is the same:
stability has value.
It also connects with CONSISTENCY RULES THE DAY…DO YOU RULE?
Steady patterns often outperform extremes over time.
And THE LITTLE THINGS MATTER…INTIMACY RESIDES THERE reminds us that ordinary moments can become deeply satisfying when we stop demanding fireworks from them.
FINAL SAY
Every new high can create a new low.
Then the low tempts you to chase another high.
And around you go.
Maybe the answer is not:
STOP ENJOYING LIFE.
Maybe the answer is:
STOP NEEDING TO SPIKE IT.
Enjoy the vacation.
Enjoy Christmas.
Enjoy the win.
Enjoy the romance.
Enjoy the success.
Then come back to center.
Let the ordinary day be enough too.
Because the ordinary day is not the waiting room between great moments.
IT IS LIFE.
So keep the ship steady.
Slight rise.
Slight fall.
Adjust.
Continue.
Enjoy.
And if the emotional waves start getting too high…
remember:
you do not have to surf every one of them.
— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com
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