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Today's
Meditation:
Sometimes I feel that there are more things that I
would want to have. The feeling often comes after
I've read a magazine with lots of ads, or watched a
television program--also with lots of ads. It seems
that in our world today, almost everyone is trying to get
us to be dissatisfied with what we have--even our friends
who have just bought the latest, greatest thing and who
think we should have it, too.
But I really do have plenty. I have enough food to
eat, enough money to pay for shelter, enough work to do to
keep me interested and busy. . . and enough material
things to keep satisfied the part of myself that likes
material things. In fact, I actually have more than
I need, and some things that I have, I never use because I
simply don't have enough time to use it all. Even
so, it's easy to see something that I don't have and want
it still, even further neglecting that which I have
because I desire to have something else.
It helps me to see the people and things I have as gifts--
wonderful gifts that I'd be quite silly to neglect.
Why do I need new friends if I don't spend time with those
I have? Why do I need new books when I haven't read
the ones sitting in my bookcase? And more
importantly, why should I lose my peace of mind simply
over things that aren't a part of my life, but that I
think should be?
There are going to be plenty of things in life that we
don't have. That's fine. The trick is to
recognize and appreciate those things that we do have, so
that we spend less time being upset and much more time
feeling satisfied and at peace.
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