How To Be Content With What You Have

Every once in a while we decide that life kind of sucks and only going shopping, spending a ton of money or doing something really outrageous will give us back that contentment that we lost somewhere along the way. If only we knew just how easy it would be to be content right this minute. It's called your Happiness List and it should be updated every single month.

And then on those days when you are feeling blah... you can turn to the list and pick something that brings a little bit of joy back into your life. Here are 10 things that are on my list... actually, it's a lot longer than this, but I didn't want to get carried away lol...

1. take a bubble bath
2. read a novel
3. Go for a walk in the nearby park
4. Bake cookies... yes, I find that relaxing
5. work on a puzzle... it helps if you are trying to learn patience!
6. Doodle on the computer. I have a paint program that works beautifully.
7. crochet
8. play around on FaceBook
9. go and check out what is on my bookshelves. I have been collecting books for years and I am always finding books I didn't know I had.
10. sip a hot chocolate and watch the birds at the feaders.
11. going Christmas shopping... I buy one little thing per person every month. More often than not, it is under ten dollars, but it certainly makes the tree look full!
12, re-read an old diary that you wrote a few years ago! And be sure to update your present one... if only it's a few lines!

So, now you get the idea. I hope you will start your own Happiness List so you can refer to it whenever it is needed!

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Now can you picture yourself with an umbrella and strolling in a park near you? Sounds heavenly to me!!

Did you ever see a cat who didn't look contented with the world??

I'm a workaholic can't help it, that's just what I like doing. It's a good thing that I like what I'm doing, but yesterday I needed a change and that meant baking. I made Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins from my Lens Muffins Even I can Bake... and they were a hit. I hadn't made them in a while and I added more chocolate. In my family, you can't add enough chocolate to ANYTHING. But I will tweak the recipe next time yet again. BIGGER PIECES OF WHITE CHOCOLATE was the request.

Even though I usually moan about how much I hate the winter, there is something about this poster that appeals to me. You feel as if you could almost step into that scene!

If I look at the clock during the night, I know exactly how long I still have to sleep and THAT keeps me awake. For the last two nights I have ignored it and I have sleeping a lot more deeply and if I have to get up during the night, I tend to fall straight back to sleep. Now that's contentment.

Sony ICF-CD815 AM/FM Stereo CD Clock Radio with Dual Alarm

"May the gods grant you all things which your heart desires, And may they give you... a home and gracious concord, for there is nothing greater and better than this.

Homer... The Odyssey

As long as their is love in the home, how could anyone ask for anything more?

*This morning I couldn't sleep and just maybe it was a good thing. It snowed big time last night and my daughter had a ton of snow to move... so I got dressed and helped her. It was sooo peaceful out there. I can honestly say that I enjoyed every minute of it!

*Beauty lies in quiet things. And they are everywhere. But we may fail to find them unless we pause for prayer.

June Masters Backer

*same goes for a few minutes of meditation :)

I thought that I would start a list. You can pick and choose to see if something works for you.

*I went shopping today and didn't buy a thing, well other than a yummy cup of Gingerbread Latte and I people watched. It was so nice to just sit and do nothing... Actually I did see the most gorgeous Louis Vuitton bag at the next table. It belonged to this little old lady who seemed to be enjoying the day just about as much as I was.

*I would have been in seventh heaven as a teen if my Mom had come up to me and said that my TV was too old and that she wanted to buy me a new one. That's exactly what she did last week when she came for a week's visit. Yes, my office TV is old... believe it or not, we bought it in 1981 and it refuses to quit working. It's been fixed once and never looked back. So, why replace it until it finally quits. As long as it works, I don't see a need? I just wish that more expensive items would last that long.

* I'm going to go through my closet and see what I can give away. I have way more than I need anyway. To think that someone else could benefit makes me feel good inside.

* Instead of the mall today, I'm going to go for a walk in the fields behind me. Curious to see what is sprouting out there.

* My son and his girlfriend came for a visit last night and we just sat around the table for a few hours and chatted. No big deal, but it was nice just to visit.

* Bought lawn furniture yesterday and found exactly what I wanted for half the amount I was willing to spend.

* I'm going to paint a little bit this afternoon. I haven't done that in way too long.

See how easy it was!

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Does the family next door to you have more than you do? Would you be any more content if you had what they had or would you simply want more. It seems to be a trap that is very easy to fall into. You put yourself into debt having that pool put in the back yard (to match the neighbors) and then suddenly, it's not enough any more. There will always be something else. Maybe it's time for you to start a gratitude journal. You could probably fill it today with things that you DO have.

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If you have the basics... enough food, a roof over your head, a family who loves you, a job you like you have everything you need to be content. Everything else is pure fluff. Nice to have granted, but if you need those things to be content, chances are, it might take a while when you could be content this very day.

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During the summer months we get into the habit of visiting all the touristy places and with gas the price it is these days, maybe we should look a little closer to home. I'm thinking of creating a reading spot in my own back yard where I can sit, enjoy a good book and sip a soda if it should please me ;) I'm thinking Margaritas, but soda sounds more in keeping with the money saving ways to achieve contentment lol...

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How to Want What You Have

Hmmm... How to want what you have... now that can be tough for a lot of us. There is always something bigger and better over the next hill. We have to learn HOW to find the magic in the simple things.

Even though there's not a shopping mall in sight, I could definitely find contentment here. Just think of this as the other side of me. ;)






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Spend some time outside in your backyard. Grab something cold to drink, sit in your favorite chair and do a bit of day dreaming. If you have a garden magazine handy, thumb through the pages and ponder what you might like to do next.

The day dreaming part is half the fun. :)

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Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.
Epicurus

I love this quote because it is such an easy trap to fall into. A few years ago, I began a photo album and placed pictures of things that I wanted in the pages. Guess what... that law of attraction really does work. Most of those things that I wanted have found their way into my life and now is the time to enjoy them. Don't spoil it by simply wishing for something more... at least for a little while. Take a few minutes today to be content with what you have at this very minute. Just remember that you didn't have those items... a few years ago.

*BECAUSE I HATE A MESSY BATHROOM... MESSY DOESN'T EQUAL CONTENTMENT IN MY HOUSE ;)