I was recently called an ingredient of someone's discontent. Yuk....Didn't really like the way that sounded until I took a little time to pick apart what that really means. As fortunate as many of us are, there are still moments, days, perhaps longer periods when we feel something's off. We can't put our finger on it, really can't name it exactly, so we often come up with what we think is the entree of our discontent. For example, "I hate my work" is an example of what we THINK is causing us our problems. Another example might be, "I don't have love in my life," or "I wish I had more money," or "I wish I could lose 20 pounds." These are easy targets of discontent, or so we think. We believe these things are the main course of our problems, the entire menu of our tribulations. But when we peel back the layers of what sometimes causes us to feel displeasure, we will find the deeper ingredients of the issues. It's usually not related to work, lack of love or money, or the countless other things we use to announce to the world are the reasons for our restlessness or disgruntlement.
All periods of non-peace are made up of much smaller units, the many ingredients tossed in, mixed around, condensed, marinated, perhaps blended, and then served on a silver platter of "meh."
When we become busy, overworked, tired, negligent and complacent, we forget what ingredients we put into our dish of life. We just back hand, hurl in constant stuff, and we forget that one day we will have to eat the result. If we don't take care to vigilantly pick the components that we choose to put into our pot of existence, we end up with a dish that is inedible.
I'm not one for following a recipe at all, I'm just pondering the conscious decisions of what I choose to include on my plate of life.
This Spring, I am dissecting my entrees, reevaluating my ingredients, and hopefully, if I'm lucky and put the work into it, I will recreate an even more beautiful menu, and enjoy an even grander supper!
Make it a great day!
Mich
