Contentment

He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home. - Goethe


I admit, I'm a big fan of Divine Design, HGTV's hit show hosted by designer Candice Olsen. I've seen her transform a cluttered basement into a comfortable escape for a mom in need of relaxation. And her kitchen makeovers--it's incredible what that imaginative woman can do with cramped space and outdated furniture!

But that word - outdated - has become so overused in our must-have, instant-gratification world, that if any of us blink a few times, everything will be deemed outdated. Life moves on. Trends change like the direction of the wind. Today's latest-greatest will soon be tomorrow's have-beens.

I hate to drop a bombshell, but I'm perfectly happy with my laminated kitchen countertops instead of granite. It's ok that my kitchen floor is still linoleum and not Italian tiles. Sure, I see changes I'd like to make, but those plans don't keep me awake at night.

Outdated isn't important to me. Contentment is.

I found myself cheering for this elderly woman on a Saturday makeover show, whose grown kids were trying to coax her into redoing her living room in a style she absolutely hated. "I like it the way it is," she said with a shrug. "It's my house, not yours."

I'm blessed to be married to a man who respects my opinions and supports my interests. I'm doubly blessed that together, we are content. It's a good life.



Image ©Bonnie Bruno 2007 All rights reserved worldwide

Dixie-Cup Love

"A kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles." -- Washington Irving

I've toured 15th-century castles in Europe, where royal families dined at thirty-foot-long tables surrounded by gilt-edged mirrors and wall murals. I've enjoyed catered conference meals with groups of writers, and shared a plate of peanut-buttered crackers with a contented 97-year-old widow who didn't realize she was poor.

I've had the pleasure of touring the White House, as well as the Catacombs in Salzburg, Austria, a dark cave on a hillside where early Christians buried their dead and also gathered secretly for worship services.

Both appreciation and misunderstanding have visited my life. Happiness and sorrow. A quiet peace, and room-pacing worry. I've been on the receiving end of beautifully wrapped gifts, but have been equally WOWed by a Dixie-cup bouquet of wildflowers from a granddaughter who loves me unconditionally--no strings attached.

Life is a myriad of experiences, a hilly road that meanders across uncharted territory, through blind intersections, and around sharp corners. None of us knows what a day will bring, but I do know this: A little Dixie-cup love goes a long way, anytime.