“Do not spoil  
what you have  
by desiring
what you have not.”   
Ann Brashares

There’s a fine line between being content and being complacent, but that’s not what I want to focus on this morning. Today I would rather focus on gratitude — being grateful for what we already have.

Kathy and I have a home. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a laundry room big enough for a full-size washer and dryer, and a two-car garage. Of course, it also features a living room, dining room, and kitchen. Our condominium home is located in West San José, California.

Driving around the Santa Clara Valley, also known as Silicon Valley, I see some amazing homes in various parts of San José, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Saratoga, and Los Gatos. Some of the homes are palatial with professionally landscaped yards. Others are more simple, yet still visually appealing. Some include features which my home does not have — specifically, a large redwood deck or a spacious yard. I look at these homes not with envy, but with appreciation for the beauty they bring to the area.

Would I like to live in one of these homes? Sometimes I think I would, but when I stop and give serious consideration to the possibility, I can honestly say that I am content to live where I do. This is a good thing, since most, if not all, of the homes that catch my attention are out of our price-range. Being content with what we have is a blessing.

Socrates provides some food for thought regarding this matter. He said, “He who is not contended with what he has would not be contented with what he would like to have.” 

Plato, too, addressed this topic with the simple statement, “The greatest wealth is to live content with little.” For me, I just try to live my life content with what I have.

Alan Cohen, the author of 22 inspirational books, wrote, “Contentment is not achieved by having stuff. It is achieved by enjoying the stuff you have.” Absolutely.

I believe that most of us have purchased items which, at the time we bought them, seemed like they would provide us such happiness, only to find that, over time, they lost their importance to us. Like so many other possessions we own, we end up taking them for granted. They lose their specialness, and we lose our appreciation for them.

In her book, Voyage to Happiness, Sanchita Pandey wrote, “Never let the things you want make you forget the things you have.” And yet, we do. Perhaps it’s just human nature to do this, but I’ve learned that it’s a sure path to discontent.

I can relate well to Canadian author Marty Rubin’s words. He wrote, “It is so relaxing to want nothing.” The problem with this idea is that it brings me back to the question of the difference between contentment and complacency. Is such an attitude a virtue or a character flaw?

“It’s a funny thing about life,” says American journalist Germany Kent. “Once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack.” As I’ve said many times before, gratitude makes a difference!