Tag: contentment

From Good to Great

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My daughter’s mini lecture before leaving the house for the day. “I want you to eat something of sustenance, and that doesn’t mean chocolate and gummi vitamins.” All those years of mothering are paying off where she is now mothering me! I’m diggin’ it.

I did pretty well with scrambled farm fresh eggs, by adding some shredded gouda and thyme. Along with slices of everything bread toasted and cut into toast points to hold some fig jam. It was delicious and I took this photo as proof that I ate something good.

I like a little bit of egg with my thyme.

This only added to an already great day.

Because everyday we wake up to a new day is pretty great, right? I’ll let you in on a little secret. It’s drives my friends crazy how happy I am. When they ask, “How are you?”, the answer is always, “I’m doing great!” Even if I’m not feeling especially perky, or there’s trouble brewing ahead, it’s always the same response…”Great!” My daughter knows I’m carrying the weight of the world on my shoulder’s when she asks, “How are you?”, and I say. “Okay…”

I don’t know about you but ‘okay’ is unacceptable in my mind, and I’ve been blessed with a very good life, but what about better than good? I’ve been saying ‘great’ for so long now, and to a lot of people the life I live is great, but what does great really look like? This year I want to step outside the knowing of what’s ‘good’, and go for the ‘great.’

We can be mindful of our day, and take note of how to make adjustments for a better tomorrow. Each day a little bit better than the last sounds like a solid path for this life to emerge over time from good to great.

Send it Back

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The peony is almost out of season.

I love this flower. It has layers of petals and to watch them slowly unfold brings contentment. My life is so simple that I’m entertained by watching peonies open before my eyes. 🙂

A nearby store carries them, but supply is getting low, so I bought what they had.

When I woke up the next day and walked by the coffee table, I stopped and stared.

peony

They had burst open during the night.

The store offers a 5 day guarantee on flowers. If they don’t open properly you can return them.

I found the receipt, placed them in a bag and took them back to the store. The florist remembered me from the day before.

She didn’t have any fresh peonies, but suggested I take a look around. Nothing screamed, ‘take me home’, so I went to a cashier for the return.

That was a first. Returning dead flowers.

That’s another level of a beautiful life. Knowing what doesn’t belong and to lovingly send it back.

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Lay it Down

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My favorite time to meditate is at night.

I’ve been drifting off to peaceful sleep like a child, listening to mindful sleep on Simple Habits.

Oren Jay Sofer is the narrator of this meditation and his voice alone will soothe you to sleep. Lastnight, he discussed Contentment. How does that feel?

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Something he does in every session is this.

Once you find your comfortable sleep position, he suggests 3 deep breaths. Inhale and exhale until your breathing resumes a normal rhythm.

My favorite part is when he says, ‘Lay it Down.”

Anything you left unfinished today. Lay it down.

I can feel my body sink a little bit deeper into the mattress when he says, “Today is over.” Just hearing those three words gives me confirmation of where I am. Laying in bed and getting ready for sleep.

♥ ♥ ♥

Do you believe meditation looks like this?

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How a lot of people envision meditation.

You don’t have to sit in any one position to meditate. You can meditate while standing, walking, sitting or lying down. It doesn’t require specific clothing because I’m literally laying in bed in my pajamas.

He always goes through a full body scan, but lastnight he dug deeper into the feeling of contentment within the body. He acknowledged parts of the body and paused to thank them.

Beginning at the top with the eyes.

I take for granted what all my eyes do throughout the day. The same with most parts of my body. Just like sitting here typing and watching my fingers flutter over the keys making this post possible. The eyes and fingers are small, but do great things.

♥ ♥ ♥

As we did our body scan, Oren would pause on a particular body-part such as the eyes, neck, shoulders, arms or torso. Literally breaking down specific parts and he would bless them by saying…

“Thank you for all that you do. May you be strong and well.”~ Oren Jay Sofer

♥ ♥ ♥

So tonight my lovelies, as you prepare to fall asleep, take a moment to let it go and lay it down.

The Final Day of A Better Way To Live~Day 17

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My hope is you get this faster than I did. It took me over half my life to find this truth.

Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.

I have had a lot of levels of success, and all the material objects that brings. None of that brought me happiness. If it did it was a fleeting moment like driving the car off the showroom floor. It was temporary like the new car smell.

I finally realized if I was happy on the inside, I was successful. Success doesn’t bring happiness; happiness brings success in every area of my life. Giving of myself to others bring even more happiness. A friend once told me, “You can’t give away what you don’t have, but you must give away what you want to keep.”

Let the goodness inside of you flow onto others. It will come back to you in such abundance, you’ll never be able to give it all away.

 

Quote is from, “A Better Way to Live”, by Og Mandino. To view all 17 days of this series, click here.