Feeling content

Vickey and I have had a debate lately on what it means to live your life with a feeling of contentment.

My perspective is if I say I’m content, what’s left? No more goal-setting or striving to make things better or different.

I believe her perspective could be expressed like this: “Just be grateful for what you have.”

I’d argue for both perspectives.

Since today’s my birthday, I’ve taken occasion to look back on my life experiences. I am content in that I have all I could have wished for at this moment in my life. I’m very grateful for loving and supportive parents and in-laws, and for relationships with extended family and friends that prove equally endearing.

Still, I look forward to the future—to more birthdays, experiencing parenting through all of life’s stages, family vacations and growing old with my sweetheart.

I look forward to all that we’ll build in relationships, memories and experiences as a family.

I look forward knowing there’s no such thing as Easy Street and that our family’s well-being will always be well worth any price. (Sorry for the Wellworth pun, our current street of residence, I couldn’t resist.)

I’m grateful for lessons learned: some more difficult than others and all of them worthwhile and beneficial in making me who I am today.

I’m reminded of the lyrics to a Carrie Underwood song I like called Lessons Learned. I’ll close with them:

There's some things that I regret
Some words I wish had gone unsaid
Some starts that had some bitter endings
Been some bad times I've been through
Damage I could not undo, some things
I wish I could do all, all over again
But it don't really matter
Life gets that much harder
It makes you that much stronger
Oh, some pages turned, some bridges burned
But there were, lessons learned

And every tear that had to fall from my eyes
Everyday I wondered how I’d get through the night
Every change life has thrown me
I'm thankful for every break in my heart
I'm grateful for every scar
Some pages turned, some bridges burned
But there were lessons learned

There's mistakes that I have made
Some chances I just threw away
Some roads I never should've taken
Been some signs I didn't see
Hearts that I hurt needlessly
Some wounds that I wish I could have one more chance to mend
But it don't make no difference
The past can't be rewritten
You get the life you're given
Oh, some pages turned, some bridges burned
But there were, lessons learned

And every tear that had to fall from my eyes
Everyday I wondered how I’d get through the night
For every change life has thrown me
I'm thankful for every break in my heart
I'm grateful for every scar
Some pages turned, some bridges burned
But there were lessons learned

And all the things that break you
All the things that make you strong
You can't change the past cause it's gone
And you just gotta move on because it's all lessons learned

Every tear that had to fall from my eyes
Everyday I wondered how I’d get through the night
For every change life has thrown me
I'm thankful for every break in my heart
I'm grateful for every scar
Some pages turned, some bridges burned
But there were lessons learned