I could hardly wait for Hugh to get up that morning so I could tell him the exciting news. My “feel good” serotonin levels were dancing around on a crazy high, and I was walking in a cloud. (while my poor porridge burnt on the stove)
The goal had seemed almost impossible, unachievable by any realistic standard, and yet we had made it. Yes, I did know it was God: His timing, His direction, His leading in all of it. But I was experiencing the euphoria.
Our book, The HughNeelands Story, had reached #1 in two categories on Amazon's “Hot New Releases.” Sales had been doubling every day for the last three or four days, and now it was rated below #4ooo in Amazon’s over all book rating out of millions of books.
A couple of years earlier, my book The Path He Chose for Me had made it to #14 on one of the same Hot New Releases categories on Amazon, and it had given me a high. I had hoped to see Hugh’s book get an even better rating, but to rise to #1 was barely even a dream. Now it was a reality.
But the real reality stepped in the next day. My serotonin was demanding more excitement. I checked the Amazon stats. It was already down a bit in one of the Hot New Releases categories, and it had gone over 8000 in overall book ratings. Of cource, that was still amazing, but not as good as the day before. And not good enough to create the high my emotions craved. The book fluctuated between #1 and #20 or more for several days and so did my serotonin levels before dropping almost out of sight.
Meanwhile plans for Hugh's birthday party/book launch were well under way. Some had bought the book on Amazon and were bringing it to be signed. Others were picking one or more up at the party. We were building to another high.
After an afternoon of signing books and meeting people enthusiastic about the book, we were both soring. It had been another high for us. But now that is over and again reality has set in, and with it the craving for another high. It always happens.
In The Hugh Neelands Story, Hugh shares his battle with his alcoholic addiction. But there are so many different kinds of serotonin related addictions that most of us have in our lives, whether it is the need for the lift of a chocolate bar, or the buzz that comes with the applause after a good performance. We can easily allow our lives to be ruled by our cravings for "highs."
Whether we are writers, preachers, entertainers, or just ordinary people interacting on Amazon, we need to be aware of what is driving us. God gave us serotonin, and He gives us mountain top experiences to go with it. But He also gave us the cool quiet valleys to explore and go deeper into Him.
Let Jesus be your “high” as He helps you to bring joy to others, but let Him walk with you through all the valleys as well.
Valleys can be beautiful!
For the last post see: Do we need to look back on the sad parts of our Journey?
