what do I really want in life

There's no end to the list of things I think I should have - the perfect house, my van needs to have the DVD player in there, my laptop should be as light as a feather, beam technology so I don't have to spend hours at airports and in flights, lots of money so I could not only get the stuff I want but also be able to build homes for the less fortunate, a medical degree to help the poor who can't afford health care.. The list goes on.

Then I look at reality and realize how blessed I am. I have two healthy, loving kids who are fun [though there are times I can wish they were anywhere but next to me], I have a husband who surprisingly really cares about me and has the patience of a saint though I definitely wouldn't call him one, a home which I really like - not perfect but that I like, a van [yes, that is my dream vehicle] that I wish would seal out all the noise from outside, enough money so I don't have to depend on anyone and be able to help at least someone I want.. Well, I don't have a medical degree which I wish I had, but I'm glad I can settle for being an engineer with a job I love :). Not bad. Of all the things I want, I pretty much have it all in some degree, form or the other. In addition I am blessed with awesome friends, fun people I work with and most of all contentment.

So I concluded that the best thing to aim for in life is contentment. After all there will always be someone who will have something better than you but if you are content, you are too busy counting your blessings to worry about that. Of the many lessons I want to teach my children, I hope contentment is something they graduate in with flying colors.

Even though you have ten thousand fields,

you can eat no more than one measure of rice a day.

Even though your dwelling contains a hundred rooms,

you can use but eight feet of space a night.

--Chinese proverb