Happiness (Part Two)
There may be items around your home, that when you look at them, you feel happy! You feel happy in that moment while looking at, or walking past the item. Perhaps you reminisce about where you brought or the circumstance in which you acquired the item. The item could be a picture and as you look at the faces smiling back at you, you feel happy. A picture of my children and Grandson always, always make me smile. As I pass the bust I have of Harriet Tubman and Fredrick Douglass, they look down at me from the top of my bookshelf, I smile as I am happy that I had them commissioned. Happiness is monetary.
Happiness is also a journey, one becomes happy thinking about the destination i.e getting that promised gift, going on holiday, going to purchase something for yourself or a loved one etc. I found that most people use the word happiness instead of the contentment! 'Contentment is a state of happiness and satisfaction' Oxford Languages
Contentment is an emotional state of satisfaction that can be seen as a mental state, maybe drawn from being at ease in one's situation, body and mind. Colloquially speaking, contentment could be a state of having accepted one's situation and is a milder and more tentative form of happiness. Wikipedia
Lee Serpa Azevado in his article 'Happiness vs. Contentment' states that 'Happiness is generally defined as the experience of frequent positive thoughts, such as joy, interest or pride. Contentment is generally defined as a longer lasting, but a deeper feeling of satisfaction and gratitude. Happiness is arguably viewed as having a temporary feeling attached to it'.
Some may say, if happiness is monetarily, why do so many people state, when asked, "what do you wish for your life?" They often say that they just want to be happy. We know that that statement is loaded and often mean that they want to be healthy, financially comfortable, which further means to be able to pay their bills, their rent or mortgage and to purchase what they want when they want it. This type of happiness, they want for themselves and their family. So just wanting to be happy means so much more. In fact in this instance, being happy means being in a state of satisfaction.
For me, feeling content means having all my ducks in a row. Everything in my mind at the time, feels in place. I must admit, I have have had very few episodes of contentment. The ultimate feeling of contentment came one night on a weekend trip to my parents' house. I had two children at the time who were with me. The children were asleep on the double bed we were to sleep on. I got in beside them and turned to my mother and said "If I died tonight I would feel comfortable leaving" I remember my mum asking me if I felt that I was going to die? I can not remember my answer to her, but needless to say, I didn't die, but that feeling of being satisfied with the world, the fact that my children were safe and should I depart this world, they would be looked after, made me feel content.
“Happiness could be found a picture, as you look at the faces smiling back at you”
I have had other minor feelings of contentment, when my children were young and had a full day of play in our garden (this was usually during summer break). They would have eaten well, had their baths and are settled in bed, after which I clear the living room of their toys, as I did that task, I would feel content.
I could give you other minor feelings of contentment, but they all include my children being safe, fed, warm and happily asleep. Now my children are all adults, my minor feelings of contentment take the form of being grateful. I am grateful for waking up, grateful for being able to go out and purchase what I want, or having the choice to do what I want to do, when I want to do it. I try to be grateful as often as I can remember to be. I wouldn't call my minor bouts of contentment, moments of happiness, for me, the feelings are deeper than momentary or fleeting which can be attributed to being happy. Contentment, as mentioned above is an 'all is well' feeling. For me that would be all is well with my household and my world, I would feel that I am satisfied with my lot! Contentment like happiness is a moment by moment experience. I no longer feel great contentment that my children are safe, fed, warm and asleep. I can only assume that they are well and safe. Whether they have fed themselves and they are warm is now a wish I have for them, but if they decide they do not want either, there is very little I can do about it. As mentioned above, contentment for me, comes in the form of being grateful. The more I can feel grateful, the more I experience contentment.
What makes a person content, varies depending on their life at the time. I propose that, if like me, you are grateful for waking up in the morning, and for what most people take for granted you will experience contentment everyday.
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