Enough Already

I walked into a bookshop at Plum Village meditation centre in France on my first visit and, still convinced that consuming enough wise books and talks on CD paved the way to being a better person (rather than actually practicing things like mindfulness for example), I was ready to spend another 50 euros on whatever I could lay my hands on.

Browsing the shop I came across a postcard depicting a monk sitting quietly under a tree, and written across the top of the card was the slogan, ‘You Have Enough’.

“Wow! That’s trying to tell me something,” I thought, and left the shop without buying a thing. I’d already bought a few books about mindfulness the day before, and it struck me as true that yes, I already had enough!

Later that day I told one of the monks, “You have to take that card out of your shop, it’s going to put you out of business!”

I think it’s true to say that once we’ve got a few of the right things in place – a good home, good work, a healthy diet, good friends and family – then perhaps we really can say “I have enough” – I already have enough conditions to be happy with just what I’ve got.

Contrary to what I used to believe, I’ve realised that I don’t need to be a millionaire, or own lots of properties, or buy endless stuff, or run a big company, or visit every country on the planet…

I can happily say, I have enough.

(Feel free to print out my version of the card above, click on it to enlarge and download, stick it on the fridge!)