Finding contentment in what you've got

"Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have."



We live very simply. Small home with furnishings that are a little tattered and worn.

Sometimes I look around and I wonder why I can't decorate like my sister. She has this knack of pulling things together. Her house looks like something out of Martha Stewart Living! I have been known to refer to her as Minnesota's Martha Stewart! But my home IS what it IS!

This winter I realized how muchI love the little corner gas stove that looks like it's burning wood. It's so warm and comforting to sit next too. Our girls (dogs) are sleeping peacefully on the sofa. It's covered with a sheet and a blanket to protect the upholstery, but it looks in disarray most of the time. Still, hearing Maxine snoring from beneath the cover brings a smile to my face as I type from my office here in the next room. Maxine and Harley love their lifes. They are content on the sofa with the wadded up blanket, next to the fake wood-burning stove. They are filled with contentment with what they have, resting assured that everything they need is just a nap away.

Joyce Meyers puts it this way: 'Those who want to enjoy life must learn to enjoy the journey, which is filled with waiting. Eventually we reach our destination only to begin again on a new journey to another place; therefore, to never enjoy the journey is to never enjoy life."

Today, I enjoyed the syrupy slowness of the hours ticking away, listening to the soft snoring of my beloved Boston Terrier... the warmth of the fire... and even the steely gray sky threatening yet another snow. All I have, or need... is just a nap away.