Last night I was treated to dinner. The restaurant had several thoughtful and uplifting framed aphorisms decorating the restaurant walls. Here are two that I want to share.
First, some context; while I enjoy proverbs and sayings as much as the next person, I rarely do more than note them and enjoy them in the moment for their homespun wisdom. But current times are so fraught with turmoil, challenge, strife, sadness, and loss that these particularly caught my eye and engaged me for their pithy, profound meanings.
The first states, “When you love what you have, you have everything you need.” To me, this infers something deeper, knowing yourself which then leads to contentment. First, to love what you have, whether that is recognizing your own capabilities and shortcomings, physical items you own, or the environment and community around, you need to know and accept yourself and this evolves into appreciation and love for your surroundings. Then contentment with your life, or your job, or your home, etc. naturally follow, contentment.
The other aphorism is “Laugh every day, live every moment, love beyond words.” I have heard about a laugh every day promoting health, and seizing the day or living every moment, and of course about the primacy of love for all of us. I have never seen all these in one statement. The phrase, “loving beyond words” especially struck me. For me, this means, knowing, living, and acting love in the deepest way, from the gut and soul, beyond thinking, beyond lip service, beyond ‘words.’
I hope you enjoy these.