Content

On Thursday morning, I arrived at Manchester Piccadilly 20 minutes before I needed to walk to work.

It was a cold day and I was in desperate need of warming up. I always tell people that after a winter spent living in brutally cold Minnesota, I can handle anything, but the reality is I seem to have lost the tolerance and definitely felt the temperate drop this week.

Starbucks was quiet, for 9am on a Thursday morning, which was a pleasant surprise, so my skinny caramel macchiato was with me much quicker than I was anticipating.

As I sat down at the table and pulled out my kindle for a quick read before work, I stopped for a moment. There was a warm sensation coming over me.

Contentment. Complete, utter contentment.

Here I was, on a cold November morning, about to enjoy a rare hot coffee and a few stolen minutes to read before going to work to a job that I am not only overjoyed to have, but also one I absolutely love. 

Contentment.

Where people talk about wanting to be happy, what they really mean is wanting to be content. Happiness comes in moments. Moments that are far too fleeting. Contentment is much more tangible, much less likely to float away. Contentment is a state of mind.

I know how unbelievably fortunate I am. I managed to get a job in the recession just a few weeks after coming home from America and just a few months after graduating. And I love the company that I work for, the people I work with and the job that I do already. And I'm actually good at it. I am fortunate enough to not only live with my parents, but have parents who drop me off at the train station in the morning and pick me up and take me home after work. I have parents who ensure that I come home every day to a homecooked meal. I have friends that I know still care about me even when we don't see each other for weeks.

And I have the little things like a new pair of winter boots I could buy with my first paycheck, the satisfaction of knowing I've had my hair cut just right in time for my graduation, a trip to Paris coming up in just a few weeks, and hot, sweet coffee on a cold Thursday morning.

I have a lot to be thankful for. A lot of the wonderful things that have happened to me are the result of my own hard work and dedication, but a lot of them are also down to help and support from the people around me. Including you guys. Thank you for sticking by me through the last few weeks of upheaval while I get used to my new job. I promise I'll figure this whole blogging while working thing out soon.

I know I have to remember this when things get hard. There's a quote somewhere (which I, of course, can't find right now) about this moment in your life being exactly what you wanted at some point in the past. I spent so long working hard at university, worrying about getting a job and working hard to try to get one, and now I have one that I enjoy I need to remember all the hard work it took for me to get here. I know I won't always feel content, (but that's a good thing in many ways- and a different tangent altogether), but right now, I can say I'm happy. 

All the hard work has paid off and I'm in a good place in my life.

I just hope I can remember to be thankful and make this last.