Are you content with yourself? The Journey of the mind

“I don’t know if this happens to you, but certain situations unexpectedly trigger my mind down crazy lanes — which can be tiring sometimes.”

(Image credit: Stuart Miles)

“Imane, I want a cup of tea.” That was my husband asking for his tea like he usually does. So I went about preparing it – I turned on the kettle, added two teaspoons of sugar and one teaspoon of tea into a cup and finally poured hot water into the tea cup. I was done in 5 minutes. Mission accomplished!

However, the journey my mind took was a little slower … don’t laugh at me please! Yes, there was a mental journey during which I started thinking: he didn’t say ‘please’. Why can’t he try being more polite when asking for favors? “Imane, don’t be silly; a husband won’t treat his wife the same way he would a waiter,” I scolded myself. But, I had just asked him the other day to always say ‘please’ so that our twin boys would learn the importance of such words. Grrrr! was he provoking me? “Well, it’s only a cup of tea, COME ON!” His voice was gentler today than it was yesterday. What was it with him yesterday though? Had he been angry at me? Ohh, so why had I even let him raise his voice at me? I know he wasn’t trying to humiliate me, but, how about the other day when wasn’t as polite? “Imane, it’s just a cup of TEA!!!”

I don’t know if this happens to you, but certain situations unexpectedly trigger my mind down crazy lanes — which can be tiring sometimes. When I was a child, I used to lick the vanilla off ice cream wrappings. I was never ashamed of savoring the tasty leftovers as it took me to my “vanilla wonderland”. As I grew older and began to learn the dos and don’ts of the world of etiquette, I would get caught up contemplating the consequences of my actions. So, I would sit at the restaurant, well-mannered and all, hungry and contemplating whether to have all my steak, or make sure to leave something on my plate. Logically, I don’t have to since I am paying for the food, but what would the waiter think of me?

Even more frustrating is when I start comparing myself to plastic models (by plastic models I mean the flawless characters we see on TV). To tell you the truth, if I were a man watching those ladies recommending waxing, I would curiously look to see if my wife’s legs were as clean (hairless) and slim as the chick’s on TV.

I have met people who are somewhat “less complicated” than me. Preparing tea for their spouses has nothing to do with a conspiracy theory. They eat until they are full and sometimes order a second plate. They admire the perfect images on TV but don’t give it a second thought. They would care less about licking that ice cream wrapping; all in all, they are not focused on whether the world is counting their footsteps or not.

I think I have a problem being content. If you are like me, if your thoughts are constantly straying from reality, or if you question every aspect of your relationship, you are most likely one of two: either a psychopath or an unsatisfied fellow.

In my point of view, satisfaction or being content transforms you from an annoying, nagging, always-complaining person into a serene confident one. It needs much meditation. Here, I mean positive meditation. There is no idealism here. It comes by focusing on positives; your accomplishments, the things you own and the positive treatment you receive from others. If you are not an ogre (even Shrek was loved by the princess), you will find rays of light penetrating through the black sheet you imagine to be your life.

Imane blogs at Express It 2 Live It

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