We need much less than we think we need. ―
This month I have contemplated full from a different perspective… rather than comparing it to emptiness, I considered contentment.
And Maya is so very correct… I need much less than I think I need.
The Less is More concept is a foreign one to me because… being a True American…I always want the next best thing. Rather than being content with the overabundance that I have, I am quickly distracted to that next thing… (Hello to all my fellow Band Wagon Jumpers!)
So this month I slowed down, I thought more, and I waited longer to make impulse decisions.
Perhaps Pandemic Living had already set my feet on the path to slowing down and thinking about decisions. Yet, I still jumped on a Band Wagon or two recently… and lived to regret doing so. And that was after thinking about that decision for a number of days. So I increased the wait time… drastically. And low and behold… the urge eventually passed for almost all the things that I thought I desperately needed.
Instead of filling up with more things, this month I focused on being Full of Contentment. I spent some time with March Madness. I sewed… and worked on liking the necessary process required to get to the point of sewing. I read some unexpected books thanks to not having an entirely full Book Queue which allows me to do some “spur of the moment” reading. I gave my self permission to let go of perfection and played with water colors… and loved every imperfect second of it! I pulled out yarn from my stash and cast on for a summer sweater that I had been contemplating *buying yarn to knit*! And there was even a healthy dose of Bonus Contentment when I got gauge… The Knitting Gods were smiling! I put contentment in my Daily Gratitude Journal… more than once. It is a good reminder that more is not better… and contentment is exactly enough!
I am really loving this process of looking at what full means and I am eager to continue this journey in April!
A huge thanks to Carolyn for hosting us this month! See you all back here on Wednesday!
This feels like such a good place to be, Kat…content, versus full. (When I think about my stomach, content feels SO much better than full! The idea of _enough_.) The Maya Angelou quote you included is a good one for me to keep front of mind right now, so I thank you for that. I’m glad to hear March has been good.
What a great way to think of being Full! Fighting that USian urge to get more is so hard, especially because we’re bombarded with ads everywhere we go. I’ve really been focused this year on enjoying what I already have (because, let’s be honest, I have a lot more than many people), and so far it seems to be working out okay. I think the knitting gods were definitely smiling on you for shopping your own stash!
How lovely! Yes – being content is such a wonderful feeling. And being content with what we have (in my case more than I need) rather than rushing to the next “thing” is such a good feeling. Love the quote from Maya Angelou.
Holding off on making purchases and taking decisions is really sensible. Being content with the abundance we have is also really sensible. Becoming aware of fullness a d sufficiency also really sensible. You have really made me wonder why we ever want the next thing and the next thing. Somewhere deep within us there must be some deep instinct to acquire more and hoard. Really interesting thoughts here.
I think contentment is an underrated feeling that not many people pause to appreciate because it might seem boring. I feel fairly content with my life and am happy to do most of the things I do on a daily basis. John is a person who is rarely content and is always searching for something new. It makes for some interesting times! Congratulations on your March journey and I hope April holds more contentment and growth.
I’ve been focusing a lot on moments of contentment lately and I’m finding it really improves my mood.
Thanks for the reminder!! I need to remember this, especially where yarn is concerned!
What a lovely month, Kat. Present and Full have a lot of synergies!
What a wonderful way to look at your word this month. Contentment is indeed a way of feeling full and rich. Hooray for the knitting gods or goddesses who think gauge from stash yarn is a good idea.
I think there is incredible power that comes from building some “white space” into our lives. Taking the time to breathe and enjoy those empty spaces absolutely goes against the do-everthing-and-do-it-now mindset that is so prevalent in our society . . . but it’s so worth doing! Your word is leading you in a really fascinating direction, Kat! XO
what a beautiful post, I feel so warm and cosy and warm reading it. Full and contented is what I strive for each and every day but I’m questionably successful!!