Abundant Living: Designing from a Place of Enough

What if who we are and what we have is enough? If every time we find ourselves wanting more or feeling like we need to be more or do more, we instead sit with the discomfort of that feeling? We choose to accept it rather than push it away. We allow it to carry us until we begin to actually feel like we are enough. That what we have is enough.

Choosing to have enough doesn’t mean that we cannot want differently or more. In fact, it means quite the opposite. When we act from a place of already having enough, of already being enough, we pursue from a place of gratitude. Pursuing from a place of gratitude is a practice that not only enriches our lives, but the lives of others. 

Recently I found myself dreaming of a new coverlet; one that created more cohesion in my primary bedroom, was easier to wash and did a better job of hiding the dog hair. I spent weeks periodically browsing my favorite online vintage retailers, socially conscious businesses and Pinterest looking for “the one”. While there were many that I admired, none of them were just right. Ironically, it was only after I chose to step back from my search and see my primary bedroom as enough with my current coverlet, that I serendipitously came upon “the one”.

As the story goes, I had been watching an unfamiliar dragonfly buzz around my backyard on a warm, sunny afternoon. Almost without thinking, as if guided from something beyond myself, I opened Pinterest. There it was. I wasn’t looking for it, but I saw it and I knew. After confirming the size was correct, the product was handmade and of a natural material, I navigated to learn more about the company. I always do this. Buying from companies aligned with my values is how I not only live my truth, but vote for the world I believe in. 

The company is PO-EM. The artist and designer behind the textiles, homewares and clothing identifies as first generation American with a mother from Colombia and father from Sicily/Argentina. “Cultural roots often influence her designs, exploring themes of belonging and renewal alongside patterns influenced by folk arts and ancient motifs”. Check! The exact product and business I strive to support, not just as a designer, but as a human being sharing this planet with a seemingly infinite number of other living beings. 

And that was it. I could have purchased any number of coverlets that I liked in the weeks prior. However one of two scenarios would have unfolded. One, I would have gotten one home, immediately knew the purchase was a mistake and filed for a return. Tip: Always check return policies, especially when it comes to purchasing from vintage or small makers. Due to the nature of their work, they often don’t take returns or only issue store credit. This is just one more reason I like to be absolutely certain before I make a purchase. Second scenario, I would have liked it, but definitely not loved it. It would have lived on my bed for a few weeks and each day I would have felt a little ping of guilt that I hadn’t listened to the voice that knew it wasn’t the one. I would have carried the yucky feeling of knowing that I had acted out of a place of scarcity, that I had purchased something I didn’t genuinely love because I couldn’t stand another day of what I currently had. And yet, I would have been right back to the drawing board.

Miracles happen when we choose to be enough and have enough. 

I know that for many, living in a space of enough feels like being asked to climb a mountain without knowledge of the distance, gear required or what awaits you on the other side. We have been conditioned to believe that we must always be more and have more in order to be worthy. It’s why we are constantly pursuing, our cups are half full at best and we flow in and out of happiness.

However, it seems Universal Law that when we practice something we get better at that thing. So dear reader, this is an invitation to practice being enough. To choose to practice having enough. Wake up and go to bed each day telling yourself you are enough. You have enough. Forget one day? Shrink back into your old patterns of thinking for a couple of weeks? Choose to try again. That’s all it takes. Keep trying. One day you may find you actually believe it, and you’ll open the door to serendipity. You’ll open the door to a life of miracles.

Sending love and light,

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