Contentment: satisfaction or ease of mind
My life has thrown me many curve balls. My husband and I had only known each other for four months (dating for two) when we found out I was pregnant with our daughter. Our son was also a surprise. There are times like those when I am dumbfounded and unhappy. I wasn't planning pregnancy or any of the many other things that have come my way, but I roll with it and they turned out to be some of my happiest moments.
Happiness is just that though... a series of moments. Am I happy right now? My son is napping (HAPPY!). The laundry is going (HAPPY!). I got a visit from a great friend (HAPPY!). So, I guess the answer would be yes. Tomorrow could be a different story.
Happiness seems to come and go, but what I really want in my life is contentment. I want satisfaction with my life. I want that ease of mind that I have done all that I can and my life is "good." We all set goals for ourselves, many of them forced on us by society.
My Life Plan
- Finish High School
- Go to College
- Start Career
- Get Married
- Have kids
- Make millions :)
Ok.. I am rambling. My point is people are too focused on being "happy." We need to be content. We need to have that satisfaction with our lives. I think that would make the happy moments come more often and be more noticeable.
Amen to that :)
ReplyDeleteI think you're right, although I would add one thought: I think that recognizing the "happy" can help lead you to contentment. It's easy to get caught up in the negatives--in the bills that aren't paid or the tasks you haven't completed--but when you take a few moments to recognize the happiness, then you start to realize that maybe you're a little more content than you thought you were. No, it's not perfect, but it never will be, because perfect doesn't exist. Contentment recognizes this and is satisfied anyway.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to this post SO WELL. My life? Yeah, it has not followed a plan at all. Certainly not the one I blindly assumed I would follow. But it's okay now. And I'm so happy to be able to say "it's okay." Because for a long, long time I wasn't sure if I'd be able to say that. And the shift in my timeline is something I can look at now with a smile. And this brings me the contentment I need--the peace--to be able to recognize the happy moments in their entirety.
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