Contentment

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Developing the capacity to enjoy less

Having recently retired I have made a conscious decision to enjoy what we have, live with less, and live simply.   I love this quote, and I cannot find absolute proof that Socrates wrote it, but whoever did write it has encapsulated the way I would like to live my life.

“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more,but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.” Socrates wrote this 2500 years ago.

Wow!  how come we still have not got it?
I have a wind chime outside my back door.  Its little tinkle is very calming, reminding me to stop and smell the roses – Oh wait! I don’t have roses :). I live in the tropics, so have orchids and heleconia in my backyard and the great barrier reef on my doorstep.

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I know that this weekend with the grandkids, when I asked them on the way home what they had enjoyed the most, it was planting seeds.  We had talked about it for weeks.  There was a lot of anticipation, and I made a point to do the whole process slowly, to enjoy the ride, to not hurry over decorating the labels, to slowly plant each packet, picking out the seeds from their little hands, seed by seed.  Slooowing down.

My peace lily is starting to flower, it has taken a lot of patience, but now it seems happy in its chosen location. Peaceful.  Slow. Content.

When I search sustainability the thing that strikes me is the amount of suggestions for more things we could buy to make our lives more sustainable. The definition for Sustainable in the American Heritage dictionary is: Capable of being continued with minimal long term effect on the environment.

Every day I am going to make a point to concentrate on enjoying something I have.  I want to tread lightly on this earth, and leave it a better place for my presence.

Will you join me on this journey?