What is the The Way of Contentment?

What is the Way of Contentment?

As I sit here this morning I am aware that the morning temperature was cool at 53 degrees, the air was refreshing, sweet, a gentle breeze stirred the tree leaves which were animated and dancing, the sky was a true sky blue, bright and clear. This has been an extended and beautiful spring season.  At times like this my heart swells and I feel so grateful to be living this life. I hope you are also filled with this deep contentment.

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Experiencing a deep sense of satisfaction is something that many rarely experience and when we do, often, it is such a surprise. This is because we have been reaching ahead, looking towards the next best thing to achieve.  We have missed the moment rather than meeting the moment and this phenomenon of distraction,  striving to have a better moment can leave us with a sense of boredom, ennui, and disappointment.  Longing for life to be more than it is, appears as a pernicious snake wrapped around our bodies, suffocating us, stifling our breathing, emptying our life force and spirit.

In mindfulness practice we are encouraged to embrace the present and pay attention on purpose to this one and only moment. We can begin perceiving as an artist, seeing the intricate patterns of a butterfly’s wing, touching the smoothness of a river rock , hearing the subtle whirling of the hummingbird hovering over an orange hue flowering shrub or feeling the current wind, flapping the tree branches.

It is beneficial to be aware of both why and how we strive for more, what takes us away, and what brings us back to a sense of calm satisfaction. Knowing the causes and conditions are essential to this practice. This recognizing brings us to a place of inner insight and offers the opportunity to work with the situation, however it is. We can choose. I would like to share this prose piece with you from David Whyte which speaks  so simply:  “Enough”

“These few words are enough, if not these words, this breath…
If not this breath, this sitting
this opening to the life we have refused
again and again until now. Until now.

In this moment of epiphany
this opening to the life we have refused
again and again
until NOW.”

This is the way of contentment.

From Enough, Poems by David Whyte