Green Pastures

I think everyone for the most part sets goals and strives for bigger things in life. They want a partner. Then, they want to get married. Then, they want to buy a house. Then, they want children. And on and on it goes. It feels like it’s a never-ending story of acquiring and acquiring some more.

And people will not be happy until they find whatever it is that they’re looking for. And then once they find it, they get satisfied for a little bit and move on to the next.

I guess a lot of people feel that way. Like what they have in the moment right now is simply not enough. And there’s inherently nothing wrong with that. The desire for improvement can indirectly lead to lots of innovation and positive change in society. So, there’s nothing wrong obviously with moving to find more and take more action.

Many of us probably feel like there are greener pastures if only this one certain problem goes away. If only I can repair my relationship with my partner. If only I can have a healthier relationship with my parents. If only my friends were not so dramatic and toxic. If only I could get this one little thing fixed, then my life would be great.

And I am no different. When I had significant social anxiety, I would always feel like I would be unstoppable if only I could get over my fear of public speaking. And throughout the years, once my social anxiety relatively subsided, I began to feel like I needed to fix other issues in my life before I could finally be happy and content and at peace again.

It’s a non-stop cycle. And I feel like at some point we just need to stop and look in the mirror ourselves. And ask us if what we have in the present moment, right here right now, is enough. And often times, it is more than enough. It is more than enough to live a fulfilling and joyful life.

A wise guru once said that heaven is not some precious faraway land for us to go to. By the looks of it, heaven is right here. Right in this moment. Heaven is everywhere. Heaven and joy are in this planet Earth right now. It is not in some mythical distant land of dreams and ideals. It is in this flawed and beautiful existence.

This is not to say that we stop striving for our goals. This is not to say that we simply stop learning and growing and improving ourselves. It just means sometimes we just need to look around and see how great we have it here. Because for the most part, everything is relatively swell.

I know that the news out there depicts lots of horror stories and tragedies and stories of grief and loss. And there is value in that too. But just note that technology and convenience has improved significantly. And we live in some of the most prosperous times right now. We already have everything we need at our fingertips. We should be able to rest easy knowing that life is kind of right here in front of our faces.

This is not a means to an end. There is no eternal satisfaction upon reaching a certain goal. There is no greener pasture in some faraway distant land. There is only the here and now. And that is beautiful and that is more than enough.

For me, I am grateful to be relatively healthy. To have good friends and family by my side. To not be living on the streets. To be living in a vibrant community like NYC. To have a sustainable job. And to be able to have some relative purpose in my life. I think that is more than enough right now to live a happy and fulfilling life.

Having said that, my life is far from perfect. And I encounter irritations and agitations every single day from external triggers. But, even with that, I’ve come to accept the things that I cannot change and practice gratitude for the things that I already have. I don’t go out of my way searching for ecstasy or everlasting bliss. I simply try my best to stay in the present and appreciate everything that I’ve already got.

Living a life of fulfillment is not rocket science. We don’t need to go away chasing a faraway distant fantasy. We can be appreciative of the here and now. Because in reality, that’s all we actually got.

So, when you’re dreaming of a better life, keep on dreaming. Keep on striving. Keep on improving. Keep on doing you. But also know, that when you sit back and reflect, you’ll realize that there is a lot of beauty and purpose in your life right here in front of you.