Karla’s Korner: Living Contently

Living Contently

Driving through rural back roads in what some would call “country” roads I caught a glimpse of a cow attempting to eat the grass on the other side of the fence. Pushing her nose through the hole in the fence as her long slippery tongue reached for the green grass on the other side she struggled avoiding what was right in front of her; green grass. How often are we like the cow on the other side of the fence longing for something just beyond our reach? How often do we spend so much extra energy trying to have what others have only to get it and find ourselves dissatisfied and wanting more?

There are a lot of distractions in the world today that leave us confused, disorganized and lacking contentment. When you’re not content, you spend much of your life bouncing from one thing to another thinking you will find that one thing that brings you love, joy, success and happiness when all too often all you need is right in front of you. To be content is defined as being satisfied, pleased or happy. As simple as it seems, finding contentment in the world around us is often difficult as we find ourselves blinded by what we see in the media as what we need to be content. We fall into the pit of “I want more” instead of being happy with what we have and where we are. We live in a world that tells us “Bigger is better” and leaves us looking for what’s next. So the idea of just slowing down and enjoying what you have right in front of you before moving on to the next thing is foreign to some people, me included.

In researching the idea of being content it has been said that quite often living a life of contentment is perceived as living a life of laziness or carelessness. In reality living a content life means we are satisfied, happy and at peace with what we have and who and where we are. Setting goals and working toward them can often be a sign of contentment. Accepting ourselves for where we are at any given age or stage in life while living productively and authentically I believe is content living. Much like the cow in the fence risking getting stuck because of the desire to have more than what she needed (she had plenty of grass on her side of the fence) we tend to dwell on what we don’t have instead of what we do have.

My husband and I have been painting several rooms in our house lately. Once we began to put the rooms back together we realized that not everything matched the new colors and we had to get rid of a few things. At first it was difficult to decide what to keep and what to get rid of but when I asked myself what significance each piece had on my life it became evident that most of the stuff could go, freeing up space. What I realized is that by getting rid of the stuff the rooms looked brighter, less chaotic and less cluttered; I am content.

What is it that gets in the way of your contentment? What is it that keeps you from sitting still, accepting life in the moment? Taking time to identify the things that get in your way of living a productive, authentic contented life will allow you to set appropriate goals and work toward them without seeking more than we need. Take time to enjoy what you have avoiding sticking your head through the proverbial fence reaching for the green grass when the grass in which you stand on is just as green. Determine what’s important and do it knowing that in doing what you love will bring you greater joy that doing something someone thinks you should do. Seek your own treasures, shine your own light and be true to yourself. Finding comfort in the scriptures I share a favorite from Matthew 6:21 “For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.”

Peace,

Karla

I think we all need a touch point a place we can go to be inspired. Karla is my children’s teacher, a good friend, and a person with a heart of gold. I hope that her words will inspire you to do more. We are only as good as the people we surround ourselves with. It is important to listen with your heart and proceed with your eyes open. Enjoy!

Read more Karla’s Korner, also please visit Karla’s Lifetime Moms page and read her articles.

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