My need for santosha

My absence from my blog is usually a pretty good barometer of: a) how little free time I have at the moment and/or b) how little energy I have to do more than I absolutely have to for the moment. Still, there are some advantages to my line of work which entails long hours of driving in my car to and from clients. I have gotten into the habit of listening to CD-books and this week I finally finished off one of the most beautiful books I've ever read(?), "The Story of Norea (Noreas Saga)", by Marianne Fredriksson, the final book from her Children of Paradise trilogy.

Throughout her life the character Norea embraced her innate ability to transcend time and exist in the moment. Since she neither compared her present circumstances to the past nor wondered what life could be like in the future, she was more or less fearless, fearless and free. This got me to start thinking about the yogic principle of santosha, which means contentment. I have always struggled with admitting to others when I have felt content since I've been afraid that that would automatically mean that I would have to settle for that and never get more.

The more I think about that whole "getting more" attitude, the more apparent the negative effects of desire become. Sure, one should strive for development and self-improvement, but most often my desires are linked to my ego, to simply wanting more than I have. And the energy I waste concentrating on what I don't have diminishes my ability to appreciate and embrace that which I do have.