Freedom from Want

Pleasure is about want; happiness is about freedom from want.

When I first read that statement, it was as if the entire world stood still for a moment, and my heart cried out, “Yes! Yes! Yes! This exactly!”

As a mature woman in my late 50’s, I truly love my life and the deep contentment and happiness that I have found in my world, especially around food.

It was not always like this.

I think I was born with a highly developed sense of pleasure around food. I’ve always found immense satisfaction and gratification in making food for my family and friends.

There is goodness and rightness in gathering around the table, a table filled with scrumptious, soul-filling food.

I love to love my people with pleasurable food.

The issue: the food and drink that I was consuming left me wanting more. One bite of a sugary dessert was one bite too many; it started me on the roller coaster of craving, wanting, needing.

My quest: how to live free in this world of highly processed, highly palatable, and highly addictive foods?

I wanted to wow my people with fantastic meals, but I also wanted to find freedom in this realm.

Turns out, there is a glorious place in the world of food and nutrition where pleasure and happiness live together with joy.

It’s a world I did not know existed.

(I am smiling as I type this, tears in my eyes.)

See, some foods have inflammatory elements. Other foods are highly addictive. Steering clear of those items, I have made a life that I love around foods that love me back.

Whole foods. Lots of high-quality protein. Good fats. Healthy carbs in the form of fruits and vegetables.

The other day my daughter-in-law Jessica said, “I love that I can depend on you for good food. You offer my kids blueberries, not cookies. Thank you.”

My son Eric told me I could open a restaurant because of some of my signature dishes. They are truly pleasurable.

But the best part? Because they are created with whole foods, I don’t have the “I can never get enough” factor—only a deep sense of freedom and liberation.

I cannot tell you how much this means to me.

Happiness, I’ve learned, is about creating a life that supports me, nourishes me, and brings real delight.

Now I guide others on this journey of food freedom. As a health coach, it is my privilege to open the door to this way of living.

Because the truth is, I truly love food.

I love sharing food.

I love preparing food.

I love having everyone over to my house for big meals. I LOVE making fantastic food.

Truly nourishing food gives strength to the body and elevates the spirit. Win-win.

This final quote from John Mark Comer in his life-altering book Live No Lies puts a beautiful bow on what I’m getting at:

“Not all desires are created equal. Or at least, not all are equally beneficial. Some of our desires are higher or nobler and lead to life and freedom and peace; others are lower or more animalistic and lead to death and slavery and fear.

“All healthy, free people self-edit this inner mix of desires. The wise recognize that pleasure is not the same thing as happiness. Pleasure is about dopamine; happiness is about serotonin. Pleasure is about the next hit to feel good in the moment; happiness is about contentment over the long haul, a sense that my life is rich and satisfying as it is.

“Pleasure is about want; happiness is about freedom from want.”

Find out more about the journey.