Not what we have, but what we enjoy constitutes our abundance.
– Epicurus
I like this quote. I think it is especially meaningful on a Monday. There are a plethora of things for all of us to enjoy every day of our lives (a lot of things being free or of nominal cost), but sometimes human nature keeps us focused on our lack. On Mondays, lack of time seems to be a big focus of ours as we huff and puff in traffic, grumble at our weekly to-do list and sigh as we start in with our mundane chores. But isn’t the fact that we have the physical ability to do our chores such a gift? Our abundant health is allowing us to do our daily routine without giving it a thought. If we are hungry, most of us have abundant choices of what to eat. What if we made an effort to enjoy eating our food, tasting the different flavors, and laughing with good company?
What if for today on this particular Monday, we all decided to enjoy everything that we have, that we typically take for granted? What if we took the time to walk barefooted in our grass? Took deeper breaths of our clean air? Relished in the idea that we can drink as much clean water as we want to? Savored every bite of our daily meals? Gratefully looked into the eyes of the people who we share our lives with? Watched our pets play and bask in the beams of sunshine that they so seem to always find and relish in? Sat in the marvel of our automobiles, amazed at all of their intricate capabilities? There are very few people, particularly in our country, who if they counted everything that they have and chose to enjoy everything that they used and experienced just for today, who wouldn’t be satiated and perhaps even overwhelmed by their very own abundance.
Man, those ancient Greeks were brilliant people!