I recall seeing a bumper sticker on a dented, patched, rusted, wreck of a car which proclaimed “my other car was a 100 dollar die cast model smaller than a toaster” Does the bumper sticker indicate the need to impress other people or was it an attempt at humor? Getting over the need to impress others by means of our possessions or our position is a deadly trap. There will always be someone or something more impressive than whatever luxury we might claim. Finding contentment in our present circumstances can be a key to happiness. Contentment, in the end, may be less about circumstance and more about attitude. It is hard to be content if we lack the basic necessities, but our desire to have what we think others have can be a source of discontent. To paraphrase the apostle, Paul wrote, “I have found the way to be content in whatever circumstance I am in” I have not come fully to such a state, but I am more content than I once was. The satisfaction of simple things, the appreciation of loving relationships and the tastes, smells, sights and sounds of everyday life can build contentment if we allow them space in our minds. I am still not at the Apostle Paul’s stage of contentment, but slowly I am learning more and more how to be more content.