There is Always Enough

I used to think that ENOUGH implied JUST enough, you know, just barely enough -- not abundance. When my wife, Lynnie first said, "My life is enough!" I thought that meant, just this side of NOT enough!  She taught me, without even trying to, that true abundance comes when one holds to the truth that there is always enough. Enough time, enough stuff, enough of everything, enough to share with others, enough to be happy.

I still find myself drawn to calling it more than enough, probably because the word enough, by itself, still feels a bit thin. Perhaps, that has old roots in my childhood. Memories of my depression-era parents (bless their hearts) saying "That's enough! Sylvia" when I went for that second scoop of mashed potatoes; or "that's ENOUGH you two!" when my brother and I were squabbling in the back seat of the car. But more and more I am getting what Lynnie means by enough.

So much of what we are conditioned to believe and work toward—from our childhoods, our culture, the media, even our churches-- is the two extremes of less is more and more is better: less weight, less stress, less calories, less pride, and more time, more money, more prayer, more enlightenment. Certainly, there is truth to these two axioms, but when they translate to living from scarcity, deprivation, sacrifice OR hoarding, grasping, always seeking more, circulation is thrown off, and the flow either dries up or washes out.

Living from a place of ENOUGH doesn't mean doing nothing more, never seeking, growing, giving, expanding. What comes to mind is the message of the Tao te Ching—"You need do nothing!" The operative word here, I believe, is NEED. Lao Tzu wasn't saying that we do nothing, but rather we NEED do nothing. Needing to do or not do, a particular thing, in order to be more or less anything, implies attachment to its outcome, means the focus is on the DOING rather on the BEING… Holding to the truth that there is always enough allows me to rest, to embrace my life with gratitude…

Neale Donald Walsch, in Conversations with God, talks about the importance of offering prayers of gratitude --affirming enough-- rather than supplication, which affirms lack. Sounds like a good idea to me. 

May our Thanksgiving prayer of gratitude, become our go-to prayer throughout the year.

OK I realize I got a bit off point… This IS kind of how my internal conversations go.

What does enough mean to you?

What happens when your mind meanders?