Saturday, January 12, 2008

Contentment 101

I rose from my softly quilted bed this morning to a cloudy, warmer than normal January Saturday -- in anticipation of a blissfully unscheduled day. I put the dogs out for their morning romp, filled a favorite flowered mug with steaming coffee and slowly walked through the sleepy rooms of my house, opening curtains to the early morning light. What a lovely beginning to my day.

Those of us who are blessed with an appreciation for the simple pleasures in life are fortunate. Our world today runs at breakneck speed, and it is so easy to let these little pleasures pass by unnoticed. We must make a conscious effort to savor the insignificant moments of our days which can bring deep satisfaction to our hungry souls.

We spend long hours working to afford the necessities and luxuries in life, and often forget to enjoy the fruits of our labors. As we rush from one chore to another we pass by opportunities to savor the sensual pleasures in our lives. How often do we wolf down a cup of coffee and grab a breakfast bar without even consciously taking notice of the aroma and taste of the coffee and the textured goodness of the bar. In our mad dash to the car in the morning, do we even see the lovely flowers we planted along the walk, as they beg us to look and sniff and touch. Do we listen to the music that plays softly as we drive or notice the seasonal changes along the way. Other than complaining about snowy roads, I think many people are so internally focused they don't see the new leaves opening a bit more each day in the spring, or the wildflowers growing along the road all summer.

It does not steal time from our hectic schedules to merely be truly present in each moment of our daily routine -- to smell, listen, see and feel all the pleasures we encounter, to savor the possessions we have worked for, and to consciously appreciate our surroundings.

Contentment is within our reach if we learn to savor these simple delights which are sprinkled bountifully throughout our days.

2 comments:

CyberCelt said...

Hi! I saw you had visited me on blog catalog, so I followed you home. LOL! I would like to invite you to become a Blog Your Blessing blogger on Sundays. This post would be perfect.

Stop by advertising-for-success.blogspot.com on Sundays and check it out.

Unknown said...

I will check it out tomorrow. Thank you --