“We need much less than we think we need.”
~ Maya Angelou
It’s Wednesday, mid-week, a perfect time to pause and simply be content with where we are, and what we have, on this day.
I wish I was better at contentment. I place great value on cultivating an attitude of gratitude and contentment yet at times it is elusive. It’s why I get caught up in doing and find it difficult to simply be still sometimes.
I could blame this fast-paced world where we are continually bombarded with the latest and greatest new thing. I could blame the evening news and the fear-mongering, catastrophe-predicting, not-so-neutral, media. I could blame a society that places the greatest value on high achievers. I could blame Pinterest.
But really I need only look in the mirror because discontentment is an internal issue rooted in fear: fear of not measuring up to society’s, or my neighbour’s, standards; fear of failing; fear of what might happen; fear of being rejected; fear of not being good enough.
Today I’m reminding myself of the Truth I know to be the antidote to fear and I’m going to pepper my doing with a good measure of being.
Join me?
So true, Linda!
Your post made me stop and simply heave a sigh, connecting with my feelings this morning, instead of ignoring them. Thank you for that.
I felt far from contentment and asked myself why…because I was wanting things to be different today, wanting things to change, wanting joys of the past. Facebook’s Memories feature is sometimes unsettling. Fear too, fear of the future when my husband won’t be with me (he’s quite ill with high risk health issues).
Like you, I need to just BE today, BE in the moment and enjoy the visitors coming to our home today from Sweden. Enjoy our meals together and our friendship. Enjoy the Now.
We all need reminders to reconnect with what’s really happening sometimes. For me, it came as I was ruminating this morning and writing this post. I’m pleased it spoke to you too, Kas.
I agree about the Facebook Memories/On This Day feature–it can be a mixed blessing some days, can’t it.
Enjoy the fellowship with your friends today and as long as they are with you. Let’s both simply be today.
These words apply to me – all of them. I am so glad we down-sized when we moved, but now I think we just scratched the surface. Less IS more and lends lightness to life.
You are gifted at topic choices, reflections, and photos. Of course, you know that, but I want to say I enjoy your eloquent posts every day even if I don’t comment.
I realized about five years ago that I could get along on a LOT less. I lost most of my things in the flood. And though I miss my personalized Phillies jersey (sad), I don’t miss a lot of the other things I lost, furniture, pots and pans, etc. I have started to accumulate more stuff, and I clean out drawers and such about every month or so. I know I’m going to move again in about three years, and I don’t want to have to pack all this stuff! It’s family and friends that makes life rich, not things you throw on a shelf or in a drawer.