Content
Back in the dark ages of my 20s, there was an ever-present push to always have the best thing. Granted, we didn't have much money then, but credit card offers and nice cars stared us in the face. Our borrowing power was fresh back then, and the next big thing was always in the back of our minds. If only we could cut straight to our 40s, out of high school, we might make it.
Cars. Oh how I wish I would've known that cars do not make the person. I rode the bus my entire school career, and when I had my first job, I bought my first car.
It was a bright blue 1987 Mercury Lynx. That baby took me to work, down to Mexico, and finally was traded in for a white Geo Prizm. The cars we purchased continued to get nicer and nicer, until finally, we realized we couldn't afford the cars we had. I now own my little Chevy Tracker outright, and will drive it until it falls apart.
Our eldest daughter didn't get a car until the summer before her senior year. It was a 1994 Grand Am, and all of $500. Her and her dad sanded the rust spots, painted them, shined the tires and off she went. It served her for one year, then it was done. It went to the car graveyard and she went off to college. Her next car will be purchased with her own buying power. Being the last one in her class to own a car only made her appreciate it. Now my second daughter is driving – and the cycle repeats.
There are so many small things that I've learned to be content with. My sweeper that will only sweep when it feels like it, the coffee decanter that bears the name Mr. Coffee – when my coffee maker is a Bunn. I've realized that to be content, you don't have to run out and buy things right away to make you happier.
I laugh every time I fill my coffee cup. After our fire, my Bunn coffee maker was the first purchase I made. I stood there in Walmart for the longest time, debating whether it was wise to spend $99 on a coffee maker. My mind swirled back and forth with guilt, but finally I realized this. I had never had a coffee maker worth more than $20 at any given time. Mine had burned in the fire, and yes, I had the money and deserved this coffee maker. It's still going strong after three years, but sadly the decanter broke one day. Only my clumsiness is to blame. Perusing the aisles at Save & Serve one day, I came across a fat decanter made by Mr. Coffee. I stared at it awhile with much grief in my heart, snapped it up and paid the 25 cents for it, and it has served me well for two years now!
I'm content with it, and my coffee tastes just as good.
Learning to be happy with what you have can be trying. It's the same for a marriage. There are times we become unhappy with what our spouse might be doing, or they just downright annoy us. Does that mean we run out and find something new and more exciting just to please us? Being content is a discipline and one we would well served to be.
The world is full of people looking for spectacular happiness while they snub contentment. ~Doug Larson