Dear Andie,

I feel that ‘contentedness’ is the grey area between happiness and sadness. The self-awareness of acknowledging all the negative and positive thoughts in your mind, without swaying to one side. Being content feels like a sigh of relief or a knowing smile. Feeling content is powerful. I find it to be one of the most satisfying feelings (sometimes more than happiness itself). When you learn to control your emotions ‘content’ can be a regular feeling of knowing that everything will be okay even if it’s not perfect at the moment.

We teach ourselves to be hopeful because without a positive attitude, being stuck in the day to day rollercoaster called life, we find ourselves to be lost. We learn to trust that things will get better, whether that be from the grace of a god, blind faith in the universe, or just our naive natures. I feel that ‘content’ is the gratitude you feel towards being alive and the hope that everything will get better.

Love, Anvita.