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Thursday, January 29, 2009

The English Language Is Really Dumb Sometimes...

My favorite word in the world is Content...


Not this kind...
con·tent 1  (kntnt)
n.
1. Something contained, as in a receptacle. Often used in the plural: the contents of my desk drawer; the contents of an aerosol can.
2. The subject matter of a written work, such as a book or magazine. Often used in the plural.
3.
a. The substantive or meaningful part: "The brain is hungry not for method but for content, especially content which contains generalizations that are powerful, precise, and explicit" Frederick Turner.
b. The meaning or significance of a literary or artistic work.
4. The proportion of a specified substance: Eggs have a high protein content

I like THIS one!
con·tent 2  (kn-tnt)
adj.
1. Desiring no more than what one has; satisfied.
2. Ready to accept or acquiesce; willing: She was content to step down after four years as chief executive.
tr.v. con·tent·edcon·tent·ingcon·tents
To make content or satisfied: contented himself with one piece of cake.
n.
Contentment; satisfaction.

Why?  Well think about it... really honestly and truly - what could be better than to be content.  To be at peace with who you are and not want to change.  To be beyond merely "happy" with your lot in life but be "done" to the point of not wanting anything else at all...  That's my ultimate goal in life...

I'm not being selfish, I want (there's that WANT again) my family to be content as well.  So why is it that I usually end up with THIS instead?
con·ten·tion  (kn-tnshn)
n.
1. The act or an instance of striving in controversy or debate. See Synonyms at discord.
2. A striving to win in competition; rivalry: The teams met in fierce contention for first place.
3. An assertion put forward in argument.

It's just not right folks....

14 comments:

lori said...

It's not right. If you figure out how to have the content and not the contention, please send it my way.

Barbaloot said...

Perhaps you would be more content if that word didn't have to share its spelling with another?

Ash said...

The #1 reason I started my blog - to discover my inner content (your second definition, I'm pretty I know what my physical body contains. Well, maybe not my colon.)

Amen sister. Happiness is so overrated.

Becky said...

Ah, contention. I remember thinking how fun it would be when Millie got older so she and Riley could interact more. Now I wish they wouldn't interact quite so much. Or ever again.

TisforTonya said...

E.M. - you REALLY don't want to know the content of your colon... really.

Apparently the answer is to keep my children in their separate corners AND to find a new word which means content but doesn't become so nasty just with the addition of a tiny ion!

April said...

When you can figure out how to keep contention out of the home...you will win a Nobel Peace Prize.... guaranteed!!

OldBoatGuy said...

T, I think you are from Boise, and you use Syringa. How is it? My wireless is crappy, like colon content. Hee Hee.

Tell me about it please. If I'm wrong, sorry.

TisforTonya said...

OBG - been to Boise once... but I had to google Syringa... Yam cream seems intriguing, but I've never tried it :)

Tiffany said...

A common quandry - wanting to be content, feeling contention.

Michelle said...

Gotta love how you take exactly where you want to be, add a little bit to it and suddenly you're at the other end of the spectrum. Content is definitely where I aim, too!

And thank you so much for coming to visit my blog. Today has been so much fun and so lovely to see the response and fun comments. I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed my blog and come back to visit soon!

Megz said...

Everytime I help my kids study for spelling tests I am again reminded how crazy the English language is. Let the contention fly over the content of being content. Crazy.

Heidi said...

If you learn to want what you have--even if it means contention--than you can be content. Might not be worth the effort but it can be done. Don't ask ME how, though . .

The Sports Mama said...

The problem with living in a household fueled by ESPN, raising boys who cut their teeth on Louisville Sluggers and tough pigskins, is that we end up with more contention than contentment.

*sigh*

MakingChanges said...

Brilliance, absolute brilliance. I might have to print that one out and read it over and over and over and over...