Friday, March 2, 2012

Contentment

So yesterday was the first day that I saw a pregnant woman at Target and thought, "Oh she's beautiful...I sort of miss that."

And then my girlfriend phoned.  She's expecting her third.  She already has a set of twins.  And I heard the chaos.

And then my four-year old locked us out of the house.  And then the baby had a blow out.  And then my son said something disrespectful and I thought, "Nope, I'm good."

We have a sign in our home that says, "Happiness is wanting what you have."

And I fully believe that if I embraced the mantra of this quote that I would be content until the cows came home.  Because really, other than minor personal areas of improvement, I am insanely blessed. If we get down to brass tax, we all are. 

Most of us in the western world, have a roof over our heads with multiple rooms.  We have access to education, healthcare (even if it's not perfect), technology, freedom of speech, friends, family, books, food, and ultimately, love.  We are brimming with God's favor.

So, why do we become self absorbed and think that a new dress, a new car, a new gadget, a new fill in the blank will bring us love.  Our experience tells us that the feeling is fleeting and then we're on to the next shiny deal.  The truth is the only place to invest your time, your energy, your resources is in gratitude for that which you have been given and with those around you whom you love.  That investment will produce countless dividends.

So, today I am content.  My cup is full.  I am grateful for this life that is mine.

4 comments:

  1. Love it. Happiness is wanting what you have may need to become my new mantra. I mean, in general, I love my life, but I do own too many shoes...

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  2. FYI, the proper phrase is "brass tacks." No one is sure of the etymology of this phrase, but a cursory Google search shows that it may have come from measuring cloth, which was done with evenly spaced brass tacks. A common way of measuring cloth was also done by measuring by an arm's length, but which usually yielded a non-accurate result. Therefore, "getting down to brass tacks" meant getting the true measurement. It has since expanded to mean getting down to the heart of a matter.

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  3. Chris...you can not know how hysterical your comment is...my husband is probably laughing his arse off. I do this all the time! Thanks!

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  4. Janelle-I'm right there with you on the shoes. =)

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