I love summer.
I love heat, and warmth, and sun...
Start Quote
Sultry, steaming, sweltering.
July.
Slow down.
Or stop.
It's time to shed ambition and expectation,
along with commutes, clothing,
cellular phones, calendars.
Now our wants seem to diminish.
Is it because our needs are met?
A shady nook,
a cold drink,
a cool breeze-
whether indoor or out.
A respite from the rigors of the day.
Time off for good behavior.
Summer is not so much a season as a melody,
that tune of contentment we hum as the days begin
to beautifully blur.
The pursuit of happiness becomes our personal priority this month,
as the sweet strains of the fourth Simple Abundance principle
-Harmony-
start to be heard in our hearts.
End Quote
Today, the first day of July, we finally start on Harmony.
So we're going to talk about learning how to be content.
"I have learned,
in whatsoever state I am,
therewith to be content."
-St. Paul
Start Quote
I know that all my seeking can be summed up in one word:
contentment.
In my forties I realize
-gratefully-
that fame comes at too high a price.
Being considered an "accomplished" woman
who shepherds successful creative projects
from conception to completion
is much more appealing than being famous.
And in the deepest recesses of my soul,
I know that money cannot guarantee happiness...
Please let me never forget that all I have is all I need.
Please let me never forget to give thanks.
But I know that I am a much happier woman
when I can pay my bills with ease,
take care of all my needs,
indulge a few of my wants,
and have a comfortable cushion of savings...
Still, these days contentment is my constant craving...
Just as negative addictions sneak up on us a day at a time,
so do positive cravings.
Meditation, creative movement,
moments of self-nurturance that bring contentment-
all can become positive habits of well-being.
I find that when I take twenty minutes to get quiet and go within,
work with the visual images in my discovery journal,
take a walk, or ask how can I make the next task more pleasurable,
my wants diminish.
Today, consider the desires that really count
-what you really need
to be content.
End Quote
***
Gratitude Journal
***
Today, the first day of July, we finally start on Harmony.
So we're going to talk about learning how to be content.
"I have learned,
in whatsoever state I am,
therewith to be content."
-St. Paul
Start Quote
I know that all my seeking can be summed up in one word:
contentment.
In my forties I realize
-gratefully-
that fame comes at too high a price.
Being considered an "accomplished" woman
who shepherds successful creative projects
from conception to completion
is much more appealing than being famous.
And in the deepest recesses of my soul,
I know that money cannot guarantee happiness...
Please let me never forget that all I have is all I need.
Please let me never forget to give thanks.
But I know that I am a much happier woman
when I can pay my bills with ease,
take care of all my needs,
indulge a few of my wants,
and have a comfortable cushion of savings...
Still, these days contentment is my constant craving...
Just as negative addictions sneak up on us a day at a time,
so do positive cravings.
Meditation, creative movement,
moments of self-nurturance that bring contentment-
all can become positive habits of well-being.
I find that when I take twenty minutes to get quiet and go within,
work with the visual images in my discovery journal,
take a walk, or ask how can I make the next task more pleasurable,
my wants diminish.
Today, consider the desires that really count
-what you really need
to be content.
End Quote
***
Gratitude Journal
***
1) A Saturday with Robbie, the twins, and doing things around the house and out of the house.
2) Eating out. It's getting super expensive to eat out, but it's Robbie's vacation, so we got dinner. Chipotle is delicious. And so are Costco hot dogs.
3) Doing things to beautify our home. I've never had pots of plants before, and so I didn't know that when you water the pots the water run off stains your concrete. So today we finally got pot pans. Finally. It's kind of crazy how long it takes us to do things sometimes. I know that money doesn't buy happiness, but it does buy pot pans, and saves me an hour of scrubbing concrete.
4) Dawn dish soap, vinegar, warm water, and a brush. Does wonders.
5) Finally convinced Robbie that I need some under the sink storage space in our bathroom. He had to take everything out from under the sink in order to fix something, and he was convinced. I'm super excited.
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