#contentment

[cynicalclassicist]

The pure contentment of a cat.

@masensus

[amatullaaaah]

Treat hardships like guests. You have to treat them well whether you like them or not. They don't remain in your home forever, they visit and then leave.

إِنَّ اللهَ مَعَ الصّٰبِرِيْنَ

Verily, Allah is with the patient

[sluggoonthestreet]

Carina has finally found an apartment with both northern light and westerly tailwinds.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Journalist: "What do you think is your greatest achievement?" David Bowie: "Marrying my wife." "But as a musician?" "Nothing else matters."

[Classic Throwback]

[catsofyore]

Milk drunk, ca. 1895 — 1908. Source.

[in-tenebris-et-in-solitudine]

[sheafrotherdon]

Of all the luxuries it is possible to seek in the world, Nicky is greedy for contentment. He finds it in a dozen different places, scattered piecemeal, hour by hour. The trick, he discovered two centuries into his improbable life, is simply to look for it, to notice the sweet, quiet stillness inside his chest that means he is full. Like now, an hour into wakefulness while Joe still sleeps beside him, their bedroom filled with fragile morning light; like this, he thinks, stretching a hand up toward the ceiling as if he might walk his fingers along the meandering lines of cracked and ancient paint.

He is warm, and Joe feels warmer still beside him, curled toward him, his breath puffing softly against Nicky’s bare arm. He is not yet hungry; there is a glass of water on the bedside table, and Nicky is grateful to so easily be able to quench his thirst. The blankets on the bed are heavy; the flat is quiet; it’s too early yet for the traffic that passes on the street below to have become a constant hum. Beside him, Joe grumbles and turns on to his back, sighs and sleeps on, his mouth slightly open. Nicky smiles when Joe begins to snore.

The walls are pale blue; the door is wooden and stands ajar. There’s a chest of drawers against the wall that’s seen better days, on which sit dishes and bowls that Nicky can’t see but knows hold a watch, silver rings, a door key, a single stick of gum. The armchair that sits in a corner is green and the springs in the cushion are old and cranky, and Nicky can barely see the upholstery for the jeans and shirts and one stray sock piled there. If he lifts his head, if he rolls to the side, he'd see his own boots on the floor. But he doesn’t move; he thinks instead of the twist of fate or luck or destiny that put Joe in his bed, in his heart, in the deepest marrow of his bones, and only then does he turns to lie on his side and press his nose to Joe’s shoulder. He doesn’t speak. He is happy and still.

[thewordfortheday]

For I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

Philippians 4:1-12

Paul penned these words from prison. And a few verses before that he says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"

Contentment comes when we rejoice in the Lord. Think about your life right now. Can you appreciate what you have instead grumbling about what you don’t have? What you have in Christ is far greater than anything you don’t have in life. You have Jesus.

Paul is confident that His God is enough. He ends the chapter, (verse 19) by affirming,

"And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus." Therefore, you have everything you need for now and eternity. And Jesus has you. That makes all the difference in the world. Would you quit looking at others and look to Jesus? Do you realise how blessed you are to have Him in your life?

[mother-lee]

photo

[cardassianexpats]

On Good Omens, contentment and happiness

Okay, everybody, please bear with me, this might be long.

This is about something that I've noticed in the past, but that was really painfully obvious following the release/leaks of information around Good Omens season 3 over the last few days.

There seem to be two categories of people. The ones that appreciate what they have and the ones that always demand more. Let's talk about the latter category first:

I am using the word demand here because very often I am more reminded of a toddler throwing a tantrum about not being allowed more candy than a grown person that has any experience about what the world is like. I don't want to over-simplify, but for the sake of brevity, let's call this group "the pessimists".

Let's take a small detour and state the facts (as of Oct 24th):

Good Omens season 3 had been announced as 6 episodes, roughly 45min each.

(Credible) Sexual assault allegations against Neil Gaiman (NG) -- the head writer and producer -- had been made public.

Good Omens season 3 production had been "paused".

Plenty of rumors about a cancellation, lots of radio silence and finally a few days ago strategic leaks from people actually involved in the production that there might be a chance.

Amazon confirmed (today) that season 3 is going forward, without NG on the production team. The format is now one 90min episode/film/feature.

Now, people's reactions to this reveal have been mixed, very understandable, I also have very mixed feelings about this. So far so normal. From my perspective, the difference (and this is the part that is applicable to life in general, not just Good Omens S3) is which side of the "mixed" feelings wins out.

Reactions I've observed in the "pessimist" group: - Outrage that a company associated with NG is in any way legally involved. - "It is now all ruined". - "One episode can never be enough, we need MORE". - "F*ck this". - "This will be horrible". - "I don't want a film". - People outright demanding to get 6 episodes. - "I am literally crying here, my life sucks so bad".

Now, for contrast and for the sake of clarity, I'll call the other group "optimists": - "omg, I am so glad we will get closure". - "90 minutes is basically 2 full episodes". - "I trust Michael and David to make it work". - "I am so grateful to all the people behind the scenes that fought so hard to make this happen". - "The people working on the production are as dedicated fans as we are, they will make it work". - "Other awesome pieces of media are even less than 90 minutes".

To sum up my reaction to these and quote someone I reblogged earlier today (@paperpoetryandpetrichor), what did you think would happen?!

Feelings of disappointment are 100% to be expected, every fan wants as much high quality content as possible. All feelings are valid, but some are (imo) clearly healthier and more productive than others.

I am also sad that we'll "only" get the equivalent of two episodes instead of six. But you know what would have been way sad-er? Zero episodes. Or if they had kept NG involved (Amazon could have simply tried to ignore all this, as TV producers have in the past). There is an infinite plethora of other outcomes that would have been so much worse.

I for one choose to see the positive sides. We will get closure. NG not on production team. Both Michael and David on board (which, as we've also learned today was not a given, everybody had been released from their contracts!). And speaking of Michael and David, they know how much we all love this show -- and they do as well --, they know how much we love Aziraphale and Crowley. I trust that they will fight tooth and nails to make this the absolute best version it can be.

So yeah, what about the overall lesson I draw from this and from the two groups?

I believe that people who are able to focus their energy on the positive aspects of anything really live much happier lives. The same set of facts spark two totally opposite directions of thoughts. We all start out with "oh. I don't know how I feel about this new piece of information?" but where we go from there is totally up to us. For me, the greatest driver of happiness is contentment. Be happy with what you have. You can always want more, because it is important to have aspirations and goals and places/versions of yourself you want to be. But focussing only on what you do not have will just make you unhappy, on top of the not-having.

Breathe. Most everything has a bright side to it, if you focus on that you'll be way better off. The world is not fair and likely never will be, but letting that stop you from enjoying the things in it that are good and bright and joyful only makes you feel worse. Fight to make the world fairer and a better place for everybody. But stop every now and then to smell a flower (or re-watch your favourite series) on the way to remind yourself what you are fighting so hard for.

"To the world."

I want to round this out with a quote from the Good Omens novel:

Because, underneath it all, Crowley was an optimist.

If you want your life to be a South Downs cottage, be like Crowley.

[myteaplace]

Contentment, 1927, Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966)

[rest-in-being]

"The contentment you seek will never be found through seeking it. This is the core paradox of the spiritual path.

Contentment means loving where you are. It means drenching your present moment with curiosity and acceptance, and gratitude, and loving even the parts of you that cannot love, the parts of you that don’t know how, or feel too unworthy."

[jrich103]

A contented heart is a calm sea in the midst of all storms. —Anonymous

[kamala-laxman]

Silence is beautiful only if it is rooted in awareness; if it is not rooted in awareness, then it is utterly empty. With awareness, silence has a depth, a plenitude, a fulfillment, a contentment, an overflowing joy..." Osho

[amatullaaaah]

We should make Dua for 5 things daily:

1. Contentment of the heart

2. Acceptance from Allah

3. Barakah (blessings) in all aspects of our lives

4. Halal (permissible) and increase in Rizq (sustenance)

5. Mahabbah (love) between people