Are we ever satisfied?

Last week the hubby and I spent some time outside doing yard work.  We mowed, edged, raked, watered, did just about everything we could think of to get the front and backyards looking in tip top shape.  As the sun set that Thursday evening we sat on the porch, admiring our hard work, and taking silent satisfaction in a job well done.


Later the next day, we started devising a plan for spring.  We talked about where to plant new grass, when we should fertilize, and the prospect of planing new bushes and trees.  The momentary satisfaction of the work we had accomplished the day before was soon forgotten.  Our minds were moving ahead to progress.  To change.


Satisfaction is such a fleeting concept.  When we have it, we feel complete and accomplished.  When we don't have it, we're unfulfilled and striving to find a way to make our yearnings a reality. 


As humans we get bored.  We long for change.  This causes dissatisfaction to a certain degree.  But is it possible to keep that feeling of satisfaction around, or is it inevitable that before long we are back to feeling unsettled?


Small moments of satisfaction can go a long way, but if you're like me, your mind is constantly running down the list of endless To-Do's, wondering how there can possibly be enough time for everything.  This is overwhelming, and for me personally leads to feelings of dissatisfaction.


I feel like we are constantly bombarded with messages of "bigger and better."  We are being subliminally coached into thinking that what we have is never good enough, and that we should be making steps toward change.


Change can be refreshing.  Sometimes even a necessity.  But there is something to be said for staying put, for accepting things the way they are and being content.  Is it possible to feel this way always, or are we conditioned to eventually cave in and search for ways to further increase our satisfaction? 

I suppose I don't have definitive answers to these questions, and maybe that's alright.  Maybe it's up to each of us to find our own personal limits, and once those limits are met, our own personal satisfaction will be, too.