Skip to main content

Contentment and Creativity

Music speaks to me in a way that other things cannot. Sometimes it’s the beat–some songs tend to make me drive faster. Sometimes it’s the harmony–I sing along to those. But for many, it’s the lyrics–I can relate to them–and I think this is probably true for many of us. But what does this have to do with finances? Okay, I’m getting there.

Sheryl Crow really gets me thinking in Soak Up the Sun when she sings, “It's not having what you want, It's wanting what you've got.” Those words are POWERFUL, for they totally embody the idea of CONTENTMENT. I decided to Google that term so I could share with you an intelligent definition, which I’m going to do, so get ready, here it comes…contentment: a state of happiness and satisfaction. But I’m going to go a step beyond that because the example Google used really gets to the root of what I’m trying to say today: "He found contentment in living a simple life in the country." How did the subject of that sentence find contentment? Living a SIMPLE life! I am going to assume that I do not need to define the word “simple.” I think we all get that one.

I once overheard a conversation between two fathers. The first man said his young son was always bored even though he had enough video games, toys, and sporting equipment to keep an entire body of elementary school children supplied with activities for a month. He went on to say that when he was young he had very little, had to share what he had with three brothers, and yet he never remembered being bored. The second man had the perception to see that his friend had essentially trained his son to never be content with what he had–there was always something new coming his way, so he did not have to be happy with what he already owned. And if I added my own insight here, the first father’s young son never had to exercise his imagination, either. How sad! If I took it one step further, how many things would we be missing in this wonderful life if everybody quit experimenting because they no longer had to use their imaginations?

I daresay that giving gifts in excess is not only NOT helping our children, but it’s HURTING them. The words to the poem ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas come to mind–I think to the end when the narrator says, “’Twas the night after Christmas and all through the house Not a creature is stirring not even a mouse. The presents are scattered and broken, I fear, And St. Nicholas won’t come again for a year.” Why not give an experience that will stay with them? If you are confused by this, I encourage you to check out my most recent blog posts–like for the entire month of November 2020. Need ideas? Be sure to check your local Discover Family Fun Facebook community for the "Experience Gift" thread that will have tons of ideas just waiting to inspire you! Happy reading.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gifts that Matter

When I think about my childhood, there are a few events (some good, some not so good) that really stand out. These specific incidents made big impacts on me, so they really stuck. I bet you can say the same thing. These encounters, good and bad, help shape who we are. As parents, it is our job to teach our children to be honest, upstanding, contributing members of society. This does not happen by accident. Part of this process involves the experiences we give our children–we can orchestrate PEAK moments for our families that will leave lasting impressions on young, impressionable minds. What is a PEAK moment? According to de Jager Meezenbroek, Garssen, van den Berg, van Dierendonck, Visser, and Schaufeli in the Journal of Religion and Health , “Peak experiences are often described as transcendent moments of pure joy and elation. These are moments that stand out from everyday events.” Christmas offers an EXCELLENT opportunity to offer experiences that can become “PEAK moments” in ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Remove the Specs

You have probably heard the phrase, “looking through rose-colored glasses”? If not, allow me to introduce you to this idiom. It basically means seeing things the way you want to see them while putting a positive spin on that. It’s not a bad thing, but sometimes you need to see something for what it really is. How many of us have ever spent impetuously because we were upset or angry? “Gee, my spouse spent $500 on a (insert whatever he might buy to feed his hobby here) without asking, I should be able to spend the same on (insert what you would like to get here)!” I’m sorry/not sorry, but this is NOT a healthy way to look at things. It’s just wrong. And it’s a great example of erroneous thinking when it comes to managing money. According to Kingsford, “Thoughts create the emotions that drive us...” Oh, how true it is! She also points out how events lead to thoughts, which in turn lead to feelings. For purposes of today’s post, I’m going to call this “The Cycle.” If you want to be f...
Post a Comment
Read more

Choose Good

Someone I know recently made a trip to the grocery store. Another shopper thought she was buying too much bread for her family of nine and assaulted her. My friend is shaken but okay. The assailant was escorted from the premises. Unfortunately, emergencies bring out the worst is some. Whenever there is some sort of trauma going on in the world (and when is there NOT these days?) all kinds of crazies are going to come out of the woodwork. Don’t fall prey to one of them. You’re probably going to get phone calls from people claiming to be from different charities that are raising money for this and that. I used to try to tell them “No” politely. Now I just hang up. Or, better yet, don’t answer numbers you do not recognize, even those with the same area code you have. If you can and want to contribute to a charity, use one you have used before. While disasters bring out the scary, they also can bring out the best of us.   Be one of them. We are all spending more time a...
Post a Comment
Read more