I was grocery shopping for the week on a Sunday evening, my cart crammed with more stuff not on the shopping list and waiting to check out (pun intended!). I looked at all those magazines shouting out their wares. Almost every mag out there is a "how to".
How to look slimmer. How to get those wrinkles out. How to enhance what you have. How to satisfy your partner in 103 ways. How to shop. How to eat. How to vacation. How to be a parent. As I am glancing at those covers, I am wondering "Hey what about "how to be happy just as you are?" No wonder, we are a nation popping pills for anxiety, depression and stress. Wouldn't you worry if the only message you got was one of inadequacy?
My mom called me last night and let me tell you I adore her. Best mom in the whole world, right. But she has been bitten by the "How to" bug as well. She tells me very seriously, "Shaku, I was reading an article on "how to feed your children..."I had to cut her short and say "Mom, you don't need to read a 101 article on that. You didn't have a guide to healthy living when we were growing up and you did just fine. You gave us good balanced homecooked meals (with the yogurt on the side), plenty of outdoor activity topped with some serious study time."
Ok, let's not get the wrong impression here. I am not against "how to". I am sure Cosmo's 92nd issue on pleasing your partner is valid…I am just pro "contentment".
