Being Content

The sunset from Main Street, here in town.

A couple of weeks ago, our Relief Society president gave a lesson in Relief Society about being content. She proposed a lot of questions about what makes us content in the world we live in. Life is full of so many dramatics and business, that a lot of times, we don't get time for us and end up running around like crazy chickens running from a puppy in the chicken coupe.

Simplicity. More often than not, the things that make us happy are simple things. She gave us fridge magnets with a blank list on it to fill in what makes us content so that we can write them down, and use them when we need a break. She pointed out that there are spiritual things, and non spiritual things that make us content.

I have been wondering around my house all morning. I realized one of the things that really does make me massively content is music. I have had my ipod on, litterally for hours now, and I am listening to Michael McLean. I have been completely able to block out the rest of the world and just indulge in his music. I don't know if it is how I was raised, or not. I do know that I used to spend hours in my room as a teen and lay on my bed and just listen to music.

When I was in high school, and I had a really bad day, I was dealing with the death of a friend, my parents divorce and keeping up on school work. I was completely distraught. I went and talked to my mom and the first thing she did was send me to my room! Yeah, she grounded me! I laid down on my bed and she turned on one of my Michael McLean CD's. I laid there and listened for a long time, until I felt better. Like magic.

Even through the hardest times in my life, I always turned to the same places. In my own divorce, and another divorce, and being a single mom, and placing a baby for adoption, I always turned to music. After I came home from the hospital in March, as figured, I couldn't sleep, afraid to close my eyes and see my baby's face, then cry myself to sleep. But then I would take my ipod to bed with me, and listen to "Hope Hiding There" "Delivery" "No" and "Something Perfect" (see my playlist on the right) over and over, until I fell asleep. I remember, my mom told me not to do that, that it was making me sad, and cry but really, it was what I needed to be content in my life.

More often than not, once you find your refuge, you make it through the hard times, and before you know it, you are looking back, and realize you made it through. I had that experience last night. It has been one year to the day, being yesterday, since Ben walked out. I remember that night vividly, wondering how in the world am I going to get through this. And now, all of the sudden, I realize I have. Life moves on, and I am more than happy, and most of all, content.