Basic needs

I really have no recollection of being an infant.  Thankfully, there are pictures.  And let me tell you...there was a lot of yellow in my wardrobe!  But, I know I was happy and content.  I'm pretty sure it was because my thought process was very simple.  It went something like this...

Am I fed?
Am I clean and dry?
Am I loved?
Are all my basic needs met?

That's it.  As long as these very necessary things were fulfilled, then so was I.  That was all it took back then.  Life happens, we grow up and we have different experiences.  We are prisoners of society.  We are impressionable.  The questions we start to ask in order to be fulfilled begin to take on a long laundry list.  And when you have to answer "yes" to 100 questions in order to be fulfilled, things start to get tough.  We are ultimately setting ourselves up, aren't we?  The questions get deeper, more complex, and hard to say "yes" to.  We ask...

Am I good enough?  Thin enough?  Strong enough?  Fast enough?  Do people like me?  Do I have enough money?  Does this match?  Do these pants make me look like I have a muffin top?  Where can I get a delicious organic chicken?  Is my car fuel efficient?  Are these people my real friends?  Should I buy a house in this economy?  What is my next race?  Where am I spiritually?  Should I swim, bike or run today?  Do I have cervical cancer again?  What if my loved one passes on?  Do I ever want a child?  Where the heck did I put my car keys?!  The list goes on.  Everyone's is slightly different, but they are all the same.  Complicated questions with no absolute answer.

We start living with anxiety, worry, and a constant sense of not living up to what our lives "should" be.  It's nearly impossible to live a happy life trying to answer these questions that are always bubbling up.  You want so desperately to answer them all, but it's not gonna happen.  So let's spin it. 

What if...we went back to those basic needs and based our lives on the answers to those very simple questions?  What if you were able to say "yes" to every one of them?  Could you stop worrying and wondering and pondering and just LIVE YOUR LIFE SIMPLY? 

Let's try it.

Am I fed?  YES!  I am fed so well.  In fact, I haven't wanted for a meal since a few weeks ago when I had to fast for labwork.  Winning!  My main concern is not eating too much.  Basic need #1 met.  Happy girl.

Am I clean and dry?  Every day!  Okay, well, I do work out a lot and tend to sweat buckets, but I am always able to take a shower, get clean and dry and sleep in a warm house and a nice bed.  Basic need#2 met.  Happy girl.

Am I loved?  More than I ever thought possible.  In fact, at times I am overwhelmed by the amount of love in my life.  Not a bad "problem" to have.  Basic need #3 met.  Happy girl.

Are all my basic needs met?  I have a roof over my head, I have the means to remain warm, dry and fed and I am loved immensely.  Basic needs met.  Happy girl.

Throw the others questions out.  I'm not saying you shouldn't visit some more "mature" questions from time to time, but if everyone would be willing to base their happiness and success in life based of those very simple questions, I think we'd all feel more grateful, more fulfilled and most of all...HAPPY.  Happiness can be quite simple...if we let it be!