Doing without

It's good for us to want things.
It builds character.

If I had everything I wanted,
what would I have left to work
towards?

If I had no struggle to attain,
achieve, or maintain, what value
would things have.

I have lived with an expectation that
things 'should' be mine, or that I
'deserved' things. The idea of wanting
something--or someone--was automatically
connected to the expectation
that I should have it.
Disappointment followed.

It's a given that not everyone
will have the same things.
Why do I torment myself with
comparisons and evaluations?
My duty lies in finding happiness
with what I have, and finding
contentment with what life delivers.

There is no promise of balance,
no mean definition of what 'prosperity'
will be for everyone. If I am still and
honest, I see that I have more than
I need. My goal is to find peace with
that.

It is only when I look at perceived
'lacking' and ignore my abundance
that I am discontent.

I don't have the material things that
others have. I am not burdened by not
having these things. All is well.

I am not ready for a relationship,
so I do not have a relationship.
All is well.

The person I care for is not with me,
but is happy and whole and cared for.
All is well.

I wish to travel and explore, but don't
because I have obligations which give me
purpose. All is well.

Everywhere I see a lack, I must remember
that there is a reason. Sometimes it benefits
me, sometimes another. Sometimes, an
unanswered prayer is a gift of its own.

I will be grateful for what is, and stop
bellyaching about perceived slights of the
universe. The world simply is....there is no
imbalance of love. Let me seek to change what
needs changing in me to find what it is I need,
not necessarily want.