“Contentment is golden. A contented mind is a golden mind.”

Swami Satchidananda

It’s funny how children enjoy the simplest of toys and teenagers relish in their relationships with their best friends, while a quiet transition commences during adulthood and suddenly one may lose their sense of self when their attention becomes trapped in what others have – a partner, car, house, designer clothes, and within the past decade, cosmetic surgery. Many people seem to experience a great discomfort seeing themselves through the stages of maturation and so they invest in thousands of dollars to combat the graceful and natural process that continues to emerge with age. It’s amazing how thoughts and narratives sojourns the mind, like chemtrails, dropping a layer of malnourishment to the mind, body, and spirit experience.

Upon awakening each morning, how often do you acknowledge the gift of your life? Do you notice the number of times you chew before swallowing your food? How quickly do you gulp your coffee, juice, or tea? These are simple examples of how we may swap contentment for oblivion in a split second leaving us feeling dissatisfied. Somewhere along the line one has decided that the only way to experience true happiness is by having all the material goods desired. One then may lose the ability to take refuge in their blessings and experience disappointment when their expectations are not met.

No good comes from surrendering your emotional, mental, and spiritual state to something outside of yourself that fills a temporary void. It’s that emptiness within that one gets to look at. It’s getting to the root of that void, rather than placing a band aid over it with material goods. One may succumb to the tensions of their longing and anxieties for what they don’t have, believing that they are defined by their possessions rather than practicing gratitude knowing that worrying about the things that are beyond the power of our will is indicative of a lack in trust and faith.

How is it possible to live in a place of wholeness when we don’t see the blessings in our life? What does love for self-look and feel like? What does appreciation for our experiences and lessons look and feel like? How has your appreciation for everything in your life brought you empowerment?
When we are in the glory of Santosha (contentment) lack is nonexistent. Greed, envy, and resentment have no power over us and while we are clear about our daily blessings – our trust and faith continue to blossom with the same vibrancy of an arboretum. We get to see the real world behind the world – filled with gratitude, humility, compassion, truth, love, and light – the simple basics that bring us the joy of Santosha (contentment). We no longer look outside of ourselves for validation and fulfillment depleting our energy, but instead take a daily sip of light and experience moments of peace and as we allow divine intervention to continue to teach us and guide our path we get to grow with liberation and continued wisdom.