I had supervision today for my profession and one of the topics we discussed was being satisfied, satisfied with where you are at, where life is at, where your relationships are at. Thinking about this, I think I am conditionally satisfied. Yes I love my life, my "relationship" and relationships but I have always struggled with being in a continual effort to take most things in my life to that next level...whatever "that" level may be. What is the balance between continuing to improve, pushing, striving vs. being content, going with the flow, and being? If I really boiled this down and oversimplified it would be a battle between lazy and ambitious, fluid and structured, human-being and human-doing but all of those terms seem to lay on the extreme ends of the spectrum and my life is far too vivid to be stuck in the black and white. So what is that balance where you are comfortable but not so comfortable you regress and not seeking out growth constantly at the expense of being and enjoying where you are?
I struggle with finding how to maximize my calling, I struggle to find and understand what my calling even is, I struggle with identifying who I am at this stage in my life. I want to have a feeling of satisfaction of contentment...I guess that is something that I really am searching for right now. I just want to be in a place where I am satisfied. However, with my religious beliefs I am not sure if the structure of our life plan is to live comfortably because we are to experience much pain and tribulation along with major joy and happiness for the betterment of our selves. How do I define myself now that I am a wife but I enjoy work, ideas, life? How do my husband and I redefine male/female roles but honor the strengths and realities of the sexes in our lives? What do I want to be doing with my time? There are so many messages out there ready to define you, ready to corner you into a box, ready to seduce you into beliefs that may not be true for you.
Is it a matter of gratitude, a shift from looking at things from a deficiency standpoint? Is it looking at all you have around you, humbly noting all of the blessings both subtle and obtuse?
How have the many women out there found peace and contentment in their lives? The mothers, the academics, the artists, the wives, the business women, the professionals? If you can hear me... --@DP
2 comments:
Hey Buddy! Definately some good thoughts...very deep! I think we all struggle with different forms of contentment throughout our lives, but I know for me, becoming a mother has been the most content I've ever felt. But--for many women, being a mother isn't enough and they don't feel content without working. I on the other hand feel much more content being a stay at home mom. To each his own!
I don't always have contentment, or peace, but when I do find it, it comes in these ways:
1 - Seeking light and truth, and dwelling there as frequently as possible, willing to pay the cost: of pride/material gain; of effort of body/mind/emotion/will; of relinquishing the comfort of ease/ habit/familiarity. In other words, to feel pain in some other part of myself, so that my soul can be at peace.
2 - When I take time to enjoy, savor, admire, and be inspired by beauty - particularly in nature, in music, and in good food.
3 - When I love something or someone outside of myself enough to give it my time and effort.
4 - When I love something or someone outside of myself enough to give it room and space, to let go.
5 - When I create something of beauty, simply to be a thing of beauty and not for any practical purpose.
6 - And also when I create something useful, practical, and good with my own hands and my own mind.
7 - When I learn and expand my borders, both physical and spiritual. To be stretched and to grow.
8 - When I have something to laugh about.
9 - When I have something to cry about.
10 - When I can touch and be touched, with love and gentleness, by another human being. Although animals can help fill this void when humans are lacking.
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