Finding Joy in the Journey: Embracing Contentment in 2023
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Chapter 1: The Small Town of Hope
In a quaint town named Hope, commercial activities are minimal, yet life thrives due to an elementary school, a library, a post office, and a fire department. One notable establishment is a hair salon prominently displayed on Main Street. The talented hairdresser, praised by her female clients, works alongside her daughter, who specializes in enhancing long eyelashes. The salon also boasts the remarkable ability to transform frizzy hair into sleek strands.
During casual conversations while haircuts and coloring take place, it becomes apparent that this 41-year-old stylist has ventured no more than an hour from Hope, a journey she has only made twice. She married her high school sweetheart at 15 and is devoted to her two daughters, unable to envision life without them.
While her world may seem small, it is undeniably one filled with contentment.
Section 1.1: The Enigma of Contentment
Ah, contentment—a fascinating term. Each new year, I select a word that encapsulates an aspect of life that encourages thoughtful reflection and personal growth. In previous years, words like "grace" in 2021 and "intentionality" in 2022 guided my journey. This year, my focus is on "contentment," yet three weeks in, I find this choice to be quite perplexing.
Historically, I haven't been inclined towards contentment. My career as an executive often involved rescuing struggling businesses, where new leadership roles rarely arose from successful operations. This same philosophy applied during my time on non-profit boards, where I embraced the idea that “standing still is equivalent to moving backwards.”
Section 1.2: Understanding Contentment
Contentment is typically defined as the ability to find joy in what we already possess, showing satisfaction with our circumstances without the constant desire for more. Scientific studies highlight the benefits of contentment, revealing that it triggers the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, which are linked to happiness. These hormones lead to remarkable benefits, including lower cortisol levels, reduced blood pressure, enhanced immune function, improved sleep, better digestion, decreased pain, and even a longer lifespan.
Wow! Who wouldn't want to embrace “CONTENTMENT”? Yet, it seems to be more nuanced for many of us.
Chapter 2: The Balance Between Contentment and Complacency
There exists a delicate distinction between contentment and complacency. My journey has revolved around embracing change and discovering how to be content amidst chaos—some of which is beyond my control, while other parts are self-imposed.
We often seek contentment in various aspects of life—money, lifestyle, relationships, work, health, fitness, and spirituality, to name a few. It resembles a child's jigsaw puzzle: mastering four pieces at two years old, only to move on to a more complex puzzle of ten to twenty pieces by the following year.
In his memoir, My Bright Abyss, the profoundly insightful poet Christian Wiman reflects on faith as one of those essential pieces:
“Life is not an error, even when it is. Whatever faith you emerge with at the end of your life is intimately tied to that life, for faith in God is, at its core, faith in life. Thus, even the strongest faith is a life of profound change. If you believe at fifty what you believed at fifteen, you have either not lived or denied the reality of your life.”
Section 2.1: The Journey of Living
Perhaps the greatest challenge we face is simply living life. But how do we do so with a sense of contentment?
We must ascend the spiral staircase, prepared to acknowledge both light and shadow in our lives; we need to understand ourselves deeply and honestly, evolve, progress, take risks, overcome fears and anxieties, and venture beyond the confines shaped by our upbringing, culture, and experiences.
Section 2.2: Questions on the Pathway to Contentment
As we navigate our path toward contentment, we confront important questions. Can we discover contentment amidst change? Can we establish a steady footing on the next step of the staircase and find our rhythm in a new environment?
Is striving for contentment a metaphor for our approach to life? Should we curate a small, safe world that is easy to manage? Is there value in enjoying simple pleasures? Nevertheless, is change and disruption unavoidable, even in a sheltered town like Hope, where life may seem secure and intentionally limited? Or does living fully require us to broaden our perspective while still seeking contentment, recognizing that it is a pursuit worth undertaking?