Be Contented With What You Possess

Be Contented With What You Possess

Be contented with what you possess in

life: be thankful for what does not

belong to you, for it is so much care the

less; but try to obtain what you need in

life, and make the best of

every moment of your life.

~Hazrat Inayat Khan

Gayan

This quote seems apt as I reflect upon my mother’s move to her new apartment, in a few days.  She has always been able to shed what she doesn’t need to carry with her, is extremely optimistic about the future and able to enjoy what is happening right now, in the present moment.

Today as I was packing her kitchen into cartons, I heard her talking to neighbours outside.  She had taken a break from packing and was sitting on her deck, feet up with a glass of wine.  A neighbour had come by to hug her and to say his “Good-bye.”  I heard her laughing, happily telling him about her move.

I thought to myself, “Now she’s a good sport, focusing on the positive…when inside her place, there lurks a huge mess of boxes and a huge mess more to pack.”

I heard her giggling and telling her neighbours about what she was doing to move; more folks had come by to wish her well.  Her great-granddaughter was also there, blowing bubbles, with a wand (small circle on a stick) and soapy liquid from a little bottle.  The conversations circled like the bubbles, iridescent round and free-floating, silvered with laughter.

Mum has been shedding belongings for weeks in preparation for her move to a smaller home.  She knows it is very freeing to take only what she needs on any journey; the less, the better.

She has always been wise enough to know how to be thankful “for what does not belong to you, for it is so much care the less.”

For information on Hazrat Inayat Khan, click on this link.