Where I grew up, just outside of Columbus, Ohio, most of our milk and milk-related products came from Borden Dairy. Borden’s primary spokescow was named Elsie and their slogan was, “Borden Dairy… home of the contented cows.” The slogan was always accompanied by a picture of big, sleek, lazy, brown and white cows, contentedly chewing their cud in a sprawling, grassy field.

Maybe because of this early memory, the whole concept of contentment always carried with it the feeling of being slow… lazy… satisfied… passive… unenergized. Certainly, none of the traits I have aspired to in my life.

Quite to the contrary. Growing up, most of my role models have been the restless and driven types. You know… the people who get by on four hours of sleep each night. The ones who carry voice recorders with them to catalog their latest, most brilliant brainstorm. The people who eagerly jump out of bed every morning so they can put the next part of their plan into action.

The goers. The doers. The restless dreamers.

As I have aged and my own pace has slowed, however, my priorities seem to have shifted. I find myself much more open to the idea of contentment. I find myself wondering if I should make more of an effort to hold up Elsie as my role model instead of her archnemesis, Speedy Gonzalez? Is this possibly a time to pause… take in my surroundings… inhale deeply and smell the flowers?

Maybe. But I will confess that I still struggle with the whole idea of contentment. For me, the word still carries with it the suggestion that I have come to a place in life where I have stopped pursuing goals. More insidiously, it seems to imply I have come to a place where I have decided to turn my back on my neighbor in need… saying – in effect – “I’ve got mine. So sorry about you.”

Fortunately, I have my Greybeard buddies to help bail me out of psychological dilemmas like this one. The Greybeards is a group of retired guys from our church I convened a little over a year ago. Our mission is to expressly to ponder deep questions like this. We also contemplate such weighty matters as, “What is the best way to clean your gutters in the fall?” as we sip coffee and tuck into some biscuits and gravy.

At our latest gathering, Dave helped give some very helpful direction to the topic. He had Googled “contentment,” and came away with this list of five pithy elements that really helped me take a new relationship to this sticky subject.

• A quiet mind: Less constant comparison, lower anxiety about the future, and an absence of the “when-then” trap (e.g., “When I get that job, then I will be happy”).

• Appreciation for what is: Finding joy and gratitude in simple, everyday things rather than constantly chasing the next purchase or milestone.

• Emotional stability: Maintaining a steady, grounded baseline even when life or the environment around you is chaotic.

• Acceptance of others: Letting go of the urge to change or control a partner, friend, or family member, and instead accepting them as they are.

• Active engagement (not laziness): Contentment is distinct from complacency. It does not mean giving up on goals; instead, it means pursuing goals from a place of wholeness rather than a frantic need to fill an internal void.

I find myself especially drawn to that last one.

Of course, I should have been able to look no further than the Bible where I would have discovered this guidance in the book of 1 Timothy, “Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it, but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.” (1 Timothy 6:6-8, NRSVUE).

Much better than Google, don’t you think?

Abundant blessings;