Do you fear that you will lose your edge, become complaisant, or a lie-about if you allow yourself to be content? (Those of you who push, jockey, and fight for position in life will need to cover your ears and eyes for a moment.)
Contentment is peace and peace is your true nature. Contentment is a feeling that all is right with the world. “All is right within me. I want for nothing in this moment. I feel good in this moment. All is well in this moment.”
Belted Kingfisher
Yet, in the next moment, you may find yourself remembering a want, a need, trying to solve a problem, or worrying about what is next for you.
Can you hold the memory of the feeling of contentment in your heart? Then you can bring it back to mind when you want to feel peace again.
You might remember the feeling of contentment you had while sitting on your porch watching golden patches of sunlight light up the trees in late evening.
You might remember the feeling of contentment while walking in the woods on a cool summer morning listening to birdsong.
You might remember the feeling of contentment you had when holding your new grandchild in your arms.
Savor these moments of your precious life and inhabit them fully, for they are your life. Remember the sights, smells, feelings and emotions of contentment and bring them to your awareness. Pay attention, absorb the feelings into your heart and breathe in the peace you feel.
And now I ask on behalf of the trees and all living things: Can you be content with the earth and her living creatures, her rooted beings, her stones and bedrock without bulldozing the sacred trees, scraping away the precious soil, paving over the prairies, felling the forests, scarring the landscape with ugly buildings, making war on those you do not understand?
Dear ones, these acts reflect discontent, a pulling away from your center. They are not you at your best, not a reflection of your higher self. Find gentler ways to live and interact with this earth and her people, and we will all thrive.
Ask Grandmother Cottonwood 