OK, we're all moms (or dads!) and I know that we all get a great deal of satisfaction from our kids, from knowing we are "raising them right", from knowing they are healthy, well-cared for and bright.
What ELSE in your lives brings you the biggest sense of encouragement and satisfaction? Is it your marriage? Your career? Your financial stewardship? Being able to help others?
What IS it and HOW does it bring you satisfaction?
I love my marriage. My husband is my biggest supporter. Before we got married we talked about being a team, and how important it was to be a "it's us versus the rest of the world" kind of family. My marriage is my safe haven; at the end of the day, I love to walk in the door to the arms of my wonderful family.
Honestly, besides my kids, my hubby and my family, I get the most satisfaction by being OK financially. We try really hard to budget our money and pay all our bills on time, we have done an excellent job of not incurring ANY CC debt, we pay cash for everything and believe me when you own your own home isn't it amazing how often something breaks? My kids, hubby and myself do not want for anything and we do have a plenty of toys, computers, game systems, etc. We have saved up enough $ finally that we will be paying off the remaining balance of our 2005 Chevy Suburban...this may not seem like a big deal to some but to me and my hubby it is a huge accomplishment! We had to save for along time to put down a whole grip of cash to buy it in the first place and we had to spread it out over 6 years so the payments would be within the range we had budgeted. We have 5, sometimes 7 kids (including nephews who practically live with us) so when it came time to get our new car we had to do our research, it had to fit all of us, be within our budget and be reliable for years to come... it was our very first BRAND NEW car...and to be able to pay it off early makes us feel good.
We may not have the latest and greatest of everything but what we do have we worked hard for and are very thankful for! We often tell ourselves how lucky we are to have all our "stuff" and that the kids are all healthy and we are giving them a safe, stable life with plenty of fun toys and what-nots, when we wish we had the $ to spend on a night out and it makes us feel better :)
I grew up without any $ and our electricity and water was always getting turned off...we even lived in our car for awhile...so being able to successfully manage our money brings me a great deal of satisfaction!
~I hope this doesn't make me sound materialistic or shallow...I am sure others will have more meaningful responses to your question...but this is mine!
Simply put...gratitude from my family. My kids are very good about thanking me for the seemingly simply things I do for them. We sit every night at the table and have dinner together and they are all (even the 2.5 year old and the 14 month old {in his own grunting way, lol}) are very good at giving me a very sincere "Thanks Mom" before they even take a bite. Sometimes, depending on who says the evening's prayer, they'll even throw in a "thank you for my mom who is the awesomest cook ever" before the "Amen." Inside, I swell with pride and love.
Perfect question for me today! - It would be my hubby, our relationship and our hard earned success! We are putting in a bid for our dream lake front house this week!
And of course, this is only my answer because I can't say my kids. My kids bring me so much satisfaction that I'd be happy to live in a O. room shack with them!!!
When former students come back to say hello, or drop me a line to let me know that they're thinking of me or my class. I was going to say teaching in general, but there's a lot of slogging through stuff that isn't really particularly satisfying. But a lesson done well, or a really good "learning moment" or knowing that I've made a difference in a kid's life makes me really satisfied.
Good question : )
My physical fitness brings me a lot of satisfaction. While I know that I cannot ward off every disease or illness I can certainly do my best to keep it at bay by remaining active. Furthermore, it is starting to rub off on my 4 year old son as a 'normal' daily activity. He'll want to do 'exercises' with me, will show me his muscles, and will happily chow down his broccoli because "broccoli is a food that is healthy and gives you muscles". (Or maybe I just have him brainwashed hmmmmm)
Exercise is my biggest stress reliever, a way to remain 'competitive', a way to listen to new music, a way to challenge myself to safely push my body to its limits, and another social avenue. I also love that my kids see it as a normal part of daily living, like brushing your teeth or washing your hands (my parents NEVER exercised).
Besides my boys and hubby; my sewing business I have on the side is really bringing me satisfaction. I love coming up with new ideas and getting out there so people can see them.
Cooking (esp something new or exotic) for other people brings me satisfaction, because I find it relaxing and because I enjoy doing something nice for other people.
Gardening brings me satisfaction, I guess because I find some pride in being able to cultivate my own food, and in providing for my family. And what's better than vine-ripe tomatoes?
Reusing or repurposing (or fixing) something brings me satisfaction, because it saves my family money and cuts down on stuff in the landfill.
Any time I can make another person really happy, that brings me satisfaction. I like to make a person's day.
Spending time alone in nature brings me satisfaction. Or rather, it calms me and helps me refocus. Unfortunately I rarely get time to myself this way!
Besides loving my kiddos, I love that I have an amazing loving husband to raise them with. I also take great pride in my church and everything that we are doing for the community. I also love that I have 2 amazing sides of the family that are loving and supportive.
first of course is the kids AND husband. secondly id have to say my home, the work that i put into it.
Date nights with my husband and planning occassional trips to see new sights I've never seen!!
