Only You Determine How You Feel

Shortly before graduating college my first real girlfriend, Edie, broke up with me.  After graduating I celebrated by going on a nine-day drinking binge, my first and last such excursion.  Despite many temptations, including some outright bribes from my fraternity brothers, I kept my promise to my mother that I would never drink while I was away at school.  But as soon as graduation ceremonies were over, I set about drowning my sorrows in hole-in-the-wall juke joints in and around Akron.  It was an immature and ridiculous act, but for more than a week I was drunk more hours than I was sober.

My tenth morning of waking up feeling like the New York Giants' backfield had run over my head and left clumps of sod in my mouth, I sat up, rubbed my aching eyes, and said to myself: "What on earth are you doing?  Are you going to let someone else, someone who doesn't care about you, affect you like this?"  The answer was obvious.  You can't let someone else determine your happiness.  Only you can be responsible for your feelings.  My choice was either to make the best of the situation I was in, or to wallow in self pity and stay drunk the rest of my life.  I would never again let anyone else set the parameters of my happiness.  If you control nothing else in your life, you do control your feelings.  You can choose to face your circumstances, no matter how cheerful or bleak, with happiness or with despondency.  No one can take that choice away from you.  I chose to move on with a positive spirit. 

Pgs 44-45