It is What It is… and That’s OK
The Timeless Principle of Contentment
This is one in a series of essays that was originally conceived as a book for print publication. If you enjoy it and would like to read more from the collection, you can find a sort of Table of Contents here.
Imagine two people on a road trip.
One is antsy and bored, whining “are we there yet?” over and over again, desperate to get to the theme park on the horizon. The other is quietly enjoying the scenery as they drive by, while still looking forward to that killer roller-coaster she’s heard so much about.
Both are in the same car, heading to the same place, but only one is content.
The difference between them well illustrates the problem many people in today’s hurried and wealth-mad world run into. The antsy and bored passenger is ONLY thinking about the future. In his case, it’s a positive future with all sorts of fun to look forward to, but it makes the present hard to bear.
Ironically, if the future was horrible, say, if they were driving to the dentist’s office for a root canal, dwelling ONLY on the future would be just as bad, if not worse. Then, instead of boredom and frustration, it would cause fear and misery!
