Skip to main content

Contentment (Ruskin Bond)

Photo by Keenan Barber on Unsplash


A small ginger cat arrives on my terrace every afternoon, to curl up in the sun and slumber peacefully for a couple of hours.

When he awakes, he gets on his feet with minimum effort, arches his back and walks away as he had come. The same spot every day, the same posture, the same pace. There may be better spots—sunnier, quieter, frequented by birds that can be hunted when the cat is rested and restored. But there is no guarantee, and the search will be never-ending, and there may rarely be time to sleep after all that searching and finding.

It occurs to me that perhaps the cat is a monk. By this I do not mean anything austere. I doubt anyone in single minded pursuit of enlightenment ever finds it. A good monk would be a mild sort of fellow, a bit of a sensualist, capable of compassion for the world, but also for himself. He would know that it is all right not to climb every mountain.

A good monk would know that contentment is easier to attain than happiness, and that it is enough.

Ruskin Bond

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart (Marcus Aurelius)

 

When life presents opportunities, it's up to us to grab them and see where they take us (Jamie Pennell)

  Hastings Boys' High School badge

We don't abandon our pursuits because we despair of ever perfecting them (Epictetus)

Dame Lisa Carrington - NZ's greatest Olympian Speaking to Sky Sport , Dame Lisa said it had been a "long journey" and a "constant pursuit of growth and learning". "Something I thought about today is that these Olympics [are] over so quickly. It's just enjoying the moment. So, for me to go out there, it's about getting it done." "I just knew I had to trust my fitness at the back of the race and stay calm and push through and lean on my training ." "I just turn up to do my best. I love the paddling, I love the journey . Striving for excellence has given me a lot of growth over the last 12 years." "I think you put goals out there to try and win. It's more than the medals for us - to have my team here, no matter the result, we as a team have done amazing things together. Thanks for the support at home, the pressure, the expectation, but to remember why I paddle is because I love it, so that's all I was trying to do...