100% Content

I was watching Oprah last night. She's on again at 9pm, which is a much better time for me to try and catch it than 4pm. It was the last day of her 11 day drive across the USA with her friend Gayle. They stopped in Ohio and spent the day with an Amish family. O and Gayle were surprised by many things they talked about (including the idea of no premarital sex and only having one partner for life, but that's a different topic) but the thing that surprised them the most was when they asked the Amish couple if they were content and the husband said "yes, 100% content", and the wife echoed the same idea. I wasn't shocked but I have pondered on that today. Am I 100% content?, and if not should I be?, and if so how do I become that way?

There are a couple ways to think about being content. One way is to ask am I exactly who I want to be. Well, no. I am imperfect and am always trying to become better. Do I allow this to discourage me? Sometimes, and I think that is a problem. Knowing we're not perfect and working on our character and our habits and all that we are, working towards a goal of perfection is one thing and I think it's a good thing otherwise how would we ever progress? Becoming bogged down in feelings of worthlessness and despair because of that is a trap we need to avoid. I guess in this case being content might not be best.

Being content with the things we have is a different topic. Always wanting what you don't have doesn't bring anyone peace or happiness. Learning to be happy with the things you have, the family you have, the job you have, where you live, all those things is important. Too many people look on the other side of the fence and want what's there instead of being grateful for the blessings they have, the life they are living.

Nettie wrote about this on her blog the other day and I thought her POV was powerful. She wrote about being happy with this stage of life, where your time isn't your own and little ones make demands on your energy and some what limit your ability to go out and do the exciting things you might want to do.
She had this quote, which I loved,

"Do not be deceived in your quest to find happiness and an identity of your own. Entreating voices may tell you that what you have seen your mothers and grandmothers do is old-fashioned, unchallenging, boring, and drudgery. It may have been old-fashioned and perhaps routine; at times it was drudgery. But your mothers and grandmothers have sung a song that expressed the highest love and the noblest of womanly feelings. They have been our nurturers and our teachers. They have sanctified the work, transforming drudgery into the noblest enterprises." -James Faust.

So, on being content...I don't know. There's always room for improvement. And there's always joy to be found right now. Food for thought.