Contentment Finally Happens

Wizard marvels at the sacred Morro Rock on a magical day.

Saddle up and get ready. I have a strong announcement--or testament--as it were, and it's something I feel I've been chasing my entire life. CONTENTMENT. Isn't this sort of a novelty in today's age? Not really, and here's why.

Contentment isn't the same as happiness. Some days, I wake up feeling super happy. On other days, I'm irritated, angsty, impatient, and lacking in genuine compassion. I never thought I'd admit this, but I'm human and we all have flaws. Mine typically show up when I act as though I'm on a nine-to-five working schedule, and I can't get everything done in the day. Especially when I have a to-do list. Ha!

That's the Venus in Virgo in me. I like things organized, pretty, harmonious, communicated properly, timely, and above all, calm. It doesn't work out this way every single day. I get too far ahead on my skis and cannot for the life of me make heads or tails of the ticking hours. I can be my own worst enemy in these cases, but I also have the wherewithal to recognize how far out of alignment I am and how to recover and restore proper balance.

That's the Libra in me. I LOVE the Libra in me. Four planets, all stacked up in Libra, comprise a big portion of my astrology chart. If you had asked me in my 50s if I loved everything about who I am, I would have hesitated and deflected, gotten distracted, made up some silly answer that had no bearing on my true self, and gone round and round. It's exhausting sometimes to be less worried and more mindful.

I used to fly through book pages of self-help, wellness gurus, spiritual reads, and any other author whom I deemed above God. That was then. And this is NOW.

I have reached contentment in my Social Security years. Full-blown peace of mind contentment. If I could trace back decades to my days of chasing love, chasing environments to settle in, chasing jobs, chasing outcomes, I would have a wealthy pocket. Even with my newly diagnosed arthritic thumbs, I'm managing to find contentment. Years of yoga, gardening, and sports have taken their toll on my thumbs.

Oddly, I modify where I need to; however, my hands are my tools. Without the usage of my tools, I wouldn't be able to get pleasure out of daily gardening and body mindfulness. Instead, I would rely more on props. But that's not my jam. I go all in with everything I do. Gardening has become like a beautiful job to me. I nourish each plant. I prune and feed ALL plants. I talk to each plant. And, I make certain each amount of flora and succulent receives the best lighting and warmth based on the sun's changing positions throughout the year.

Am I a master gardener? Nah, I just LOVE being amongst the natural beauty of the outdoors. Wizard is alongside me, chewing on something or exploring somewhere, and it makes for a perfect contented day.

So, I'll end on this note. I'm a retired writer. I'm an active gardener. I'm a practicing yoga and Pilates, and running machine. I'm an almost 66-year-old woman who has lived A LOT, seen A LOT, been through A LOT, and has loved A LOT. If this is the path towards contentment, I'm on it, and I'll sink into it, and it suits me.

It's no secret how much I love 22 days. This number is my north star. Writing and publishing these words to you on this day gives my heart some serious 'oomph' vibes of goodness.

Thank you for taking the time in your day to catch up with what's going on with me in my world. Means more than you can imagine. Because I don't actively publish on social media platforms or progressive writing platforms, I keep things simple by sharing my heart here. It works for me, and will for as long as my arthritic thumbs will allow, LOL.

I love you and wish you all the best for the rest of July.

Gerry Ellen xoxo