NormsMilfordBlog

A quote that I saw in an email of quotes that I get daily struck me as being really true – “Not what we have but what we enjoy constitutes our abundance.” – Jean Antoine Petit-Senn

Many people get wrapped up in accumulating money or possessions, yet never find enjoyment in either. Other people can be very content just taking a hike in nature and enjoying the flora and fauna theat theta walk past. I know people who enjoy reading for hours at a time and others who can’t sit still for five minutes.

What do you enjoy? If you have a favorite possession, do you enjoy being alone with it or do you seek someone to share it with or show it off to? If you have a motorcycle, is it the cycle itself or the time you spent riding it that you really enjoy? If you like to read, is it the ability to lose yourself in the story that is really the enjoyable part?

I know a man who enjoys making birdhouses, so much so that he barely has finished one before he starts another. It is the joy of creating the birdhouse more than actually having a birdhouse in the end that he enjoys. Do you know someone like that? Are you like that?

Many people will tell you that what they enjoy is doing things with other people. Sharing experiences provides us the opportunities in life to meet and interact with others. Some people, however, can find a way to be alone in a crowd. They probably would prefer to be out on that hiking tail by themselves, but they may take some enjoyment out of watching others.   What about you? Do you enjoy being around others and joining into activities or do you stand back and observe what others are doing?

Sometimes possessions that we have may, in fact, be a source of enjoyment. Stamp or coin collectors seem to experience hours of enjoyment just looking at, or perhaps re-arranging, the stamps or coins in their collections. Almost all collectors find enjoyment in spending time with their collections and even more enjoyment out of the quest to add to the collection. Do you collect something? Do you enjoy spending time with your collectables?

For many people the enjoyment of family, especially large families, is what constitutes their abundance. There have even been TV shows about large families and how their interactions seem to bring enjoyment. Are you from a large family? Was that enjoyable for you?

I guess what falls out of most of this is that experiences, whether shared or personal, are more important than possessing things. Things may be a part of the experiences; but, in the end, it is in the doing rather than in the owning that bring joy.

What will you enjoy doing today?

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 25th, 2021 at 12:15 pm and is filed under faith, Inspiration. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.