Contentment

Contentment is not the fulfillment 

of what you want, 

but the realization of 

how much you already have.

-Anonymous

What does contentment mean to you?  I believe that in our happiness journey,  being content has to do with satisfaction that reaches a level which is different for everyone.  My level of achievement and good fortune is not the same as your idea of a good life.  Not wishing for more is a fluid place for me.  

How much is enough? 

Enough happiness, health, money, love or anything.  

When do we not wish for more?  

I believe the answer to that is in the now.  

Now is enough. 

There is a line from the book, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green that says, "it occurred to me that the voracious ambition of humans is never sated by dreams coming true, because there is always the thought that everything might be done better and again."  Wow, that is deep and worth thinking about.  When one dream comes true we sometimes critique it and say it could have been better or if I had it to do over...and on and on. So where is the contentment or the acknowledgment of how much you already have or that has been done? We quickly move on to the next, best thing and leave behind the feeling of enough.  Augustus, one of that characters in the book, makes a remark about Hazel and how he sees her impact on the world because "real heroes are the people NOTICING things, paying attention."  We do not have to be dying to have this attitude or impact.  We can notice our life and pay attention to the now.  What follows is contentment.  Your kind of contentment.

Life is how you look at it...ugliness or beauty.

Life is how we hear it...complaining or uplifting.

Life is how we imagine it...nightmare or dream.

Life is how we feel it...fear or love.

Life is how we anticipate it...sad or happy.

Life is how we live it...wishing for more or contentment.

Choose to live life with contentment.

Life becomes how we live it.

Enough. 

Now.

Pool Time

Pleasure in the summer for me...is pool time.  
When I was growing up we had a community pool.
We could only go there with an adult.
They usually didn't want to stay very long.
For me, it was never long enough.

Now I am very lucky to have a pool in my backyard.
Some years we use it a lot.
Some years we barely do.
Crazy.
This year I am in the pool almost daily.
By myself.
No one else.
Sometimes Sadie is laying in the shade but often it is too hot for her to stay.
It is fun by myself. 
But I also miss the pool chats and games with my daughters and their friends. 

Yesterday I did a walking meditation in the pool.
Seriously.  
I turned on my iPhone to the Happier app and counted 100 steps.
It was amazing. 
I think it was a random act of fitness!
Sometimes I count my strokes as I swim, kiddie corner across the pool.  
Sometimes I sit on a noodle and paddle around.  
Sometimes I float on my back, looking at the clouds.
Sometimes I float, holding my breath and look at the bottom of the pool......

It is a constantly changing prism of light.  

It is beautiful.  

It is awesome. 

It is relaxing.  

It is better than meditating.    

It is such a simple thing.  Floating....I feel like my hotness, crankiness, problems and stress just float away.  I have been in the pool the last 4 days in a row and many before that but not in a row.   I stay in there a long time.  I get out when I want to get out. 

I am very thankful I have a pool.

Summer pleasure is pool time for me.

Did I mention how thankful I am to have a pool?

What is bringing you pleasure this summer?

Maybe next week I will write about ice cream.....

Meditation again!

I have written more than one blog post about meditation.
There are many benefits of meditation.
It is a practice that I keep coming back to try again and again.
I even have had a boot camp for meditation this year.

On Friday I participated in an online event for peace, led by Deepak Chopra.
It was over 100,000 people from all around the world.
We were all mediating at the same time, for peace in our world.
It included humor, music and yes...following the breath.

On Monday I started a new 21 day meditation experience with Oprah and Deepak Chopra called Expanding Your Happiness.  Here is a link to check it out -Expanding Your Happiness -free 21 day meditation experience.

When I have written about mediation in the past, it has generated many page views.  In fact, my all time high for a post is 66,058 for meditation which I wrote in April of 2013 and it still has people viewing it many times daily. There is an obvious interest in what meditation is and can do for us.

I have decided that there is no wrong way to meditate.  I am not thrilled with the word meditation.  It seems like something I need to have on my to-do list and mark it off.  For me, I think it is kind of a buzz word.

What I know for sure about meditation....(thank you for this phrase, Oprah):

• it can be relaxing
• thoughts are still in my head
• there are lots of ways to do it
• no right or wrong way to get it "done"
• some people call it prayer
• silence is good
• people don't always respect your "meditating" time
• it isn't necessarily religious or even spiritual
• patio pondering works
• ruminating does not work
• lost in thought counts
• not sure what is the difference from mindfulness
• some people do it over two hours a day (may be really napping?)
• never sat on a meditation pillow
• it is never quiet when I try to do it
• exercise counts for me

When I was off on my "pretend" retirement I was trying to come up with a morning practice that included meditation, drinking lemon juice, being outside for 15 minutes with feet touching grass, writing morning pages, exercise, smoothie, and other "good" things.  But it was taking me all day to do, if I even got it all done and for sure nothing else was being accomplished.  So I went back to work.  No more "pretend" retirement for me.  Just living life and meditating in my own way.

Yesterday I was in the pool.  No one else was with me.  As I floated and looked at the clouds, I thought, maybe this is a great way to meditate. 

And as I sat on my patio drying off and pondering life, I thought, maybe this is a great way to meditate. 

And later when I was reading a book, nothing on my brain but the book, I thought, maybe this is a great way to meditate. 

And when I was eating frozen yogurt with my daughters, laughing and being silly, I thought, maybe this is a great way to meditate.

And even later when I was texting a friend in crisis, I thought, maybe this is a great way to meditate. 

For awhile I was labeling meditation as stillness.  That wasn't working for me either.  I understand all the benefits; physical, mental and spiritual, that come from meditation.  I just can't seem to get it.  I keep trying.  It certainly isn't going to backfire to keep looking for ways to be still and empty my chattering mind.

But......floating in a pool, reading a book and sharing texts can be a practice for your  best life.  Those moments can be filled with appreciation and being thankful. So maybe meditation is really just contemplation, pondering, reflecting, being lost in the moment.

Wait....that's it!

Being in the moment.

It doesn't have to include a deep breath or silence.
It includes whatever you need to do or not to do, to be here now, in this moment.

I will participate in the next 21 days with Oprah and Deepak Chopra in the Expanding Your Happiness meditation experience.  I might even use stars to keep track.  And in that moment I will be happy with my meditation accomplishments.

And after that, who knows.
Maybe some patio pondering, music or yes.....even stillness.



   

Blog

What is a blog?

blog |bläg|nouna personal website or web page on which an individual records opinions, links toother sites, etc. on a regular basis.verb (blogs, blogging, blogged) [ no obj. ]add new material to or regularly update a blog: it's about a week since I last blogged.• [ with obj. ] write about (an event, situation, topic, etc.) in a blog: he blogged theDemocratic and Republican national conventions as an independent.DERIVATIVESblogger nounORIGIN 1990s: shortening of weblog.
Today I am finished with my month of "pretend" retirement.  I return to work at the library.  Maybe next week I will write about what I learned while off.  Today is also Lexy's birthday.  We celebrated all day yesterday.  It was fun. We played a game called Titanic.  Games played with Josh are always amusing.  I have a hippie attitude and it really bugs him. Lexy is amazing and changing the world.  I celebrate her!  I am feeling much better today than that day for sure!Today I am drinking lemon juice.  Wow!  What a way to wake up in the morning.  Today it is hot and muggy already.  I don't like to be hot.    Today I don't have much to write about.  I have no opinions.  I have no links to other sites.  I have only missed one week, (when Kelly was in an accident) but this week there is not much. Today is all we have.Today is now.Have a great day.  Thanks for reading my blog.