Sunday, August 16, 2009

Contentment.....


The past few weeks I've been perusing magazines and websites for the latest and greatest things to wear for fall. I do this every season, thinking I need new boots for the fall or new sandals for the spring. As a designer, I'm naturally drawn to beautiful (and most of the time, expensive) things, whether it be furnishings or clothing.

So as I started getting my closet ready for fall, I looked in there and thought, "Why can't I just be content with what I have? Who am I trying to keep up with? Who am I trying to impress?" I really do have all that I need in terms of clothing and accessories. Yeah, I'm sure I'll buy a few things this fall/winter, but I just need to appreciate and be content with what I have.

In the book "Lists to Live By" by Alice Gray, Steve Stephens and John Van Diest, there are some quotes about contentment that I'd like to share:

"Contentment makes poor men rich; discontentment makes rich men poor."
-Benjamin Franklin

"He who is concerned with what he has would not be content with what he would like to have."
-Socrates

"I am always content with what has happened, for I know that what God chooses is better than what I choose."
-Epictetus

7 comments:

  1. Grest post! This is where I am as well...and I have no problem taking the shopping hiatus.

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  2. Thank you!!!!!!! I will add this doc to the list in case this new one doesn't work out. I see you own a pug. Aren't they just the greatest!!!

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  3. This is a great post Miss Dishy Decorator, the sentiment capturing perfectly what we tried to explain to someone this weekend at a wedding - the concept of enough being enough, and that there is simply too much "stuff" in the world. We want to have less "stuff" as life goes on, not more.

    Sending you a smile,
    tp

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  4. You really would enjoy the book simple abundance. I read it every year and get something new from it each time. Great post, very inspiring!

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  5. Southern Belle, yes pugs are delightful. He cracks me up everyday. And Preppy Princess, all our 'stuff' is just time and energy drainers. I see how much my kids' stuff can affect them. Tryin' so hard to simplify....

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  6. Great post and so true! I love those quotes!

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