Being Content With Any Outcome

I like being flexible,being willing to live with either alternative when given a choice of two or more. I have no idea whether anybody will drop by my house to pick me up to go to church this Sunday morning, and will be content with either eventuality. If the horn honks, and my friends sit idling in the street expecting me to appear at my front door and come striding, adorned in my usual camo fatigues and shirt collar, towards their very old Chevy, and hop in the back, so be it,I shall not disappoint. If not,I will be forced to decide between two eqaually appealing options; to drive myself the twenty miles to my beloved Unitarian service, my worship service of choice, or,to go back to bed for what my mother used to call a "wake up rest", snuggling with my always willing and able fourteen year old snuggle kitten. In other words, I can't lose. Usually, when so confronted, I prefer whichever choice involves the least contact with other human beings. Even then, I am ambivalent; my strategy for living "the good life" is to always place myself in a position wherein all possible choices are acceptable, even desirable, and no option is entirely, or even partially undesirable. Whether Presbyterian, Unitarian, or no chucrh at all, my day will eventuate in fine order, because I will make it happen. If push comes to shove, my preferred plan of "action", or inaction, would be to stay comfortably ensconced within my lovely air conditioned home the entire day, a good science fiction novel in hand, cat curled nearby (even in air conditioning, a lap cat can be a bit hot in mid summer). For exercise, I have my treadmill and stationary bike. Every day does not have to be a heavy workout. For my omney, what little of it I have, the secret to life is to always be self positioned that no matter what happens, no matter what other people do, I go merrily along, floating down the rivier of sentient existence with an habitual sense of contentment, wonder, and eager anticipation at whatever may come next, contentment at what has already transpired. Not a perpetual state of mind of enthralled thrill, that would be too taxing, with one's engine at risk of overheating, but with a deep, abiding happiness and contement, the engine of life purring along pleasantly, steadily, like a cat asleep in a warm lap on a cold winter's day or night. We certainly want some excitment in life, but not too much. The best state of mind is one in which the most mundane, everyday experiences seem joyful and interesting, without a trace of boredom. We can indeed place ourselves in such a lasting, pleasant state of consciousness without being bored, but we cannot control what other people do, other people, and the intrusions of the world upon our inner peace constituting the only threat to our tranquil, steady state of being. We know full well that the actions of other people and the vicissitudes of society will intrude upon our inner placidity and contentment. We can minimize this by carefully selecting our friends, and cultivating mutually acceptable social arrengements with them. The best friendships are those in which all participants intuitively know when to call or visit, and when not to, in which case a balance has been achieved. Only people who cannot tolerate being alone are to be pitied. The key to life is learning how to deal with other people, and most importantly, with ourselves. When we are content with our relationshp with and within ourselves, contentment with the world becomes, by comparison, a proverbial piece of cake. I'll just have to wait to see if I get a ride to church. Either way, I'll be just fine, because being happy is a choice, my choice.