Sincerely, Scotty – It’s You

I have absolutely the best marriage of anyone whom I know. How do I know that? I don’t, it’s just what I feel.
I am happy with my wife, my house, my car, my body (although it could stand some improvement) , my kids, my job (I am now retired, but I can safely state that I loved my job), my church, and my country. However, I must admit I am not too happy with our government. Sure, all of them have snags, all of them have faults, but overall I wouldn’t trade them; I am happy.
“Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.” That’s a quote that I remember as a little boy. It’s true, very true, but at the time I first heard it, I had doubts.
Society doesn’t gear us to want what we have. Otherwise, we wouldn’t buy the new and improved version. We are made to feel as though we need something different to be happy, something better.
Are there better wives out there than mine? Maybe. Even if there were and I had her, would there then be a better one than that one? Probably. It is this mentality that causes so many divorces.
There is always something better, fancier, faster, more powerful, and more expensive. Always. If not now, it’s coming.
Computer programs keep us waiting for an upgrade. An upgrade supposedly fixes all of the current bugs. Often, the upgrade introduces new bugs.
We are in a constant state of trying to get something better and different. We are often trying to be someone different, even when the current us is pretty decent. If you are not happy being you, then who else can you be?
I neither want to nor have the ability to trade places with anyone. I am happy with myself. With all life’s faults, with all of my faults and my continuing struggle to improve, I am happy.
There are a lot of others who have more stuff. But there aren’t many who are happier with the stuff they do have. That’s the key. Are you happy with the stuff that you do have?
Are you happy with yourself? You are you and that ain’t going to change.
An old proverb says:
“Be what you is, not what you ain’t, ’cause when you is what you ain’t, then you ain’t what you is.”

Envy is one of the seven deadly sins and probably the most abused one. If you are man, you want to be rich and handsome; a woman wants to be beautiful and desirable. In short many of us want to be something we aren’t – enter envy. But not all. I remember in my working days, when I backed away from a better paying job because I liked and was satisfied with what I was doing. It takes maturity to make a decision like that. I have a small card on my refrigerator that guides me. It says, “Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have.” Think about it and see if it doesn’t make you happy with what you have. With that thought, there is no room for envy.

Sincerely,

Scotty

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