My first thought: I am both. :) I guess I have periods when I'm more curious and periods when I'm more content. I've been cultivating the skill of contentment, but I'm naturally curious about many things.
I do like your gender distinction too, I find many men content, without asking themselves too many questions and avoiding any struggles or challenges. While I do see women around pushing boundaries, constantly learning or doing new things - which requires curiosity. Not sure it's statistically provable, but it's an interesting distinction to notice.
I've loved the conversations that this has brought up so much! I also love that you've been cultivating contentment in your life too as I do believe we can move ourselves along the spectrum through practice. But the first step - as with any big changes we want to make in our life - comes from noticing and becoming aware of it, too! Was it a conscious decision for you to cultivate more of that contentment?
I also know it's a big discussion and I absolutely didn't want to reduce the conversation to gender, but sometimes you can't help but draw parallels to your own life and the people in it as well. That isn't to say "all men" or "all women", and I know that gender is a spectrum, too, but I thought it was an interesting observation. Like it was always so fascinating to me how my mum used to love/hate how content my dad was even when she was worried and anxious about things, so I think I probably subconsciously sought out a similar relationship, too!
Such thoughtful writing, Cassie. I’m curious, through and through, but interestingly told my coach last week that if there’s one thing I could take from our somatic sessions, it would be contentment ✨
I think it can be easy for uncontrolled curiosity to veer into the realm of contempt for what we don't have and dissatisfaction for all the lives we're not living, and for unquestioned contentment to veer into the realms of complacency.
As they say, too much of anything isn't always a good thing! But the first step of changing anything is awareness. And honestly, it was amazing how quickly I became more content when I realised how much my curiosity was leading me astray and tried to rein it in a bit.
Somatic sessions can definitely be a good way to find that peace and contentment within the body, especially as it helps you gain those core benchmarks of safety and security and physical autonomy. We all carry so much trauma in our bodies and until we can regulate ourselves and our nervous systems, I think it will always be hard for us to find that contentment within ourselves.
I know that was a big part of my journey too. I had to stop waiting for the "other shoe to drop" before I could feel safe and claim safety as something that existed in the moment, not in the future after other events had come to pass, if that makes sense. I saw my curiosity as something that helped me prepare for every eventuality so I'd be ready if and when the shit hit the fan, instead of being something that supported me being content in the present moment. Anyway, bit of a ramble but I'm so excited to see where this journey takes you!
It's a good feeling to produce something and be creative on your own terms! And good questions!
I somehow envy people who are content never moving away from where their family roots are. But also I am a bit saddened by them. Does it make sense? If I could feel a bit more contempt with my own life I would do the thing and embark in purchasing a home here, where I want to be, which is also how I would feel a bit more curious (mortgage sounds like the ultimate adventure).
How interesting that a mortgage sounds like an adventure! I'm so glad you found a place you want to be, though, even if it means putting down roots somewhere far away from your family.
There's a big world out there and while many of us are happy staying in one place, we also need the seekers and the people who leave, too. There's a biological need for it, too - otherwise our communities would have become too overridden with in-marriages. They actually pinpointed an "adventure gene" in human DNA that some people have and most don't a few years ago, I remember reading about it and thinking that I definitely had that.
But I also love how leaving our homelands makes us appreciate them so much more when we go back, too, and I also find I appreciate and notice the little things of life here more than most people who were brought up here, especially when it comes to exploring things like Indigenous history and nature - all the things we take for granted when we're surrounded by them every day.
Perhaps contentment can also lead to complacency, and the curious can be the bridge between both, as long as we don't let ourselves get too swept up in being curious that we forget to enjoy what we have, too!
I think it is the curiosity that keep life interesting but yep I too would love to sit on the content side for a couple of weeks and just see how it feels. I suspect neither of us would stay there for too long.
I guess it is the point in our lives when we do more searching for meaning, when we re-think purpose, that in itself feels unsettling. It asks big questions about our life, like is it enough, do I have enough time and how I contribute. As ever, even without the answers it is better to be asking the questions. Lovely thought provoking writing, thank you. X
Yeah, I agree that it keeps life interesting and stops us settling, but sometimes I wish I could switch off the seeking mind a little, too. One of those "how the other half live" experiment things, although you're right, I probably wouldn't last too long!
But yes, definitely searching for meaning and purpose and contribution - I love that word. It probably rings truer than legacy. A contribution to the world feels like a better reframe than a desire to leave my mark on it. Always something to ponder!
I'm definitely in my living the questions era, but it also feels even more exciting than the time of physical seeking, when my mind was preoccupied on the bottom tier of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Don't get me wrong, I loved the adventure of it all, but now I'm more physically settled (at least temporarily) I can think bigger and dream further, and that's been transformative in a very different way, too!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and for reminding me why I show up week after week and write these pieces. It's comments like these that make it all worth it, so I'm very grateful 🥰💜
My first thought: I am both. :) I guess I have periods when I'm more curious and periods when I'm more content. I've been cultivating the skill of contentment, but I'm naturally curious about many things.
I do like your gender distinction too, I find many men content, without asking themselves too many questions and avoiding any struggles or challenges. While I do see women around pushing boundaries, constantly learning or doing new things - which requires curiosity. Not sure it's statistically provable, but it's an interesting distinction to notice.
I've loved the conversations that this has brought up so much! I also love that you've been cultivating contentment in your life too as I do believe we can move ourselves along the spectrum through practice. But the first step - as with any big changes we want to make in our life - comes from noticing and becoming aware of it, too! Was it a conscious decision for you to cultivate more of that contentment?
I also know it's a big discussion and I absolutely didn't want to reduce the conversation to gender, but sometimes you can't help but draw parallels to your own life and the people in it as well. That isn't to say "all men" or "all women", and I know that gender is a spectrum, too, but I thought it was an interesting observation. Like it was always so fascinating to me how my mum used to love/hate how content my dad was even when she was worried and anxious about things, so I think I probably subconsciously sought out a similar relationship, too!
Such thoughtful writing, Cassie. I’m curious, through and through, but interestingly told my coach last week that if there’s one thing I could take from our somatic sessions, it would be contentment ✨
I love that! What wonderful syncronicities.
I think it can be easy for uncontrolled curiosity to veer into the realm of contempt for what we don't have and dissatisfaction for all the lives we're not living, and for unquestioned contentment to veer into the realms of complacency.
As they say, too much of anything isn't always a good thing! But the first step of changing anything is awareness. And honestly, it was amazing how quickly I became more content when I realised how much my curiosity was leading me astray and tried to rein it in a bit.
Somatic sessions can definitely be a good way to find that peace and contentment within the body, especially as it helps you gain those core benchmarks of safety and security and physical autonomy. We all carry so much trauma in our bodies and until we can regulate ourselves and our nervous systems, I think it will always be hard for us to find that contentment within ourselves.
I know that was a big part of my journey too. I had to stop waiting for the "other shoe to drop" before I could feel safe and claim safety as something that existed in the moment, not in the future after other events had come to pass, if that makes sense. I saw my curiosity as something that helped me prepare for every eventuality so I'd be ready if and when the shit hit the fan, instead of being something that supported me being content in the present moment. Anyway, bit of a ramble but I'm so excited to see where this journey takes you!
It's a good feeling to produce something and be creative on your own terms! And good questions!
I somehow envy people who are content never moving away from where their family roots are. But also I am a bit saddened by them. Does it make sense? If I could feel a bit more contempt with my own life I would do the thing and embark in purchasing a home here, where I want to be, which is also how I would feel a bit more curious (mortgage sounds like the ultimate adventure).
How interesting that a mortgage sounds like an adventure! I'm so glad you found a place you want to be, though, even if it means putting down roots somewhere far away from your family.
There's a big world out there and while many of us are happy staying in one place, we also need the seekers and the people who leave, too. There's a biological need for it, too - otherwise our communities would have become too overridden with in-marriages. They actually pinpointed an "adventure gene" in human DNA that some people have and most don't a few years ago, I remember reading about it and thinking that I definitely had that.
But I also love how leaving our homelands makes us appreciate them so much more when we go back, too, and I also find I appreciate and notice the little things of life here more than most people who were brought up here, especially when it comes to exploring things like Indigenous history and nature - all the things we take for granted when we're surrounded by them every day.
Perhaps contentment can also lead to complacency, and the curious can be the bridge between both, as long as we don't let ourselves get too swept up in being curious that we forget to enjoy what we have, too!
I think it is the curiosity that keep life interesting but yep I too would love to sit on the content side for a couple of weeks and just see how it feels. I suspect neither of us would stay there for too long.
I guess it is the point in our lives when we do more searching for meaning, when we re-think purpose, that in itself feels unsettling. It asks big questions about our life, like is it enough, do I have enough time and how I contribute. As ever, even without the answers it is better to be asking the questions. Lovely thought provoking writing, thank you. X
Yeah, I agree that it keeps life interesting and stops us settling, but sometimes I wish I could switch off the seeking mind a little, too. One of those "how the other half live" experiment things, although you're right, I probably wouldn't last too long!
But yes, definitely searching for meaning and purpose and contribution - I love that word. It probably rings truer than legacy. A contribution to the world feels like a better reframe than a desire to leave my mark on it. Always something to ponder!
I'm definitely in my living the questions era, but it also feels even more exciting than the time of physical seeking, when my mind was preoccupied on the bottom tier of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Don't get me wrong, I loved the adventure of it all, but now I'm more physically settled (at least temporarily) I can think bigger and dream further, and that's been transformative in a very different way, too!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and for reminding me why I show up week after week and write these pieces. It's comments like these that make it all worth it, so I'm very grateful 🥰💜
Oh love this. I’ve lots of thoughts on it… let me ponder 🤔
Hope the pondering went well! I'd love to hear more if you ever feel called to share 🥰