Contentment and Michael Knight

I’m guest posting at The House Studio today.  As soon as I have the link I’ll put it at the bottom of this page.  Head on over and take a look – they’re a publishing house doing things in a new way, and the stuff they’ve come out with is challenging and insightful.  Don’t let the fact that they’ve allowed me to guest post on their blog lower your expectations of what they have to offer . . . I’ve never actually met any of them in person, but they seem like a fun group.  I’d especially like to attend one of their cyst-smashing parties.

Anyway, here’s today’s post.

Contentment is one of those words that can convey two, almost opposite connotations.

Some folks view contentment as the ultimate state of being.  If you’re content then you’ve decided to take what you’ve been given and be happy with it. 

Others view contentment as the enemy.  To them, being content is like giving in.  Giving up.  Nothing worth accomplishing, they argue, has ever been done by someone who is content with how things are.

I started thinking about contentment after reading Andi’s blog post the other day.  The way she talked about contentment reminded me more of perseverance.  I thought about how difficult it is to remain content with a piece of writing I’ve started, for example, how much easier it is to push it aside and start something new.

I think contentment as perseverance is very underrated these days.  We all want the newest thing, the iPad, the iPhone237, the next size up in televisions and houses and the car that talks (that’s my shout out for the year to Michael Knight). But what if we took a period of time, say a month, or a week, or even a day, and waited?

What if we were content?  What if we persevered in the task at hand?

Maybe the contentment naysayers would still argue that, unless we move on to the next thing, it will never be discovered.  But what about this thing?  This thing in the here and now?

What’s your take on contentment?

To check out my guest post at The House Studio on circumcision, all-you-can-eat buffets, and unnecessary burdens, click HERE.

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