Contentment or Adjustment?
"You're listening to NPR." If you are a listener, those are familiar words. So is "Pledge Week." Now, what thoughts ran through your mind just now? "Oh, no, we have to endure another Pledge Week and incessant interruptions to programming," perhaps?
Pledge Week is the necessary evil week of the year--as it is presented by most Public Radio stations in the country. That "dreaded" week (two, actually) just wrapped up at one of our local stations. As with most every other NPR station I've heard, its announcers continually told listeners that the sooner they called in and pledged money toward the goal, the sooner they could "get it over with." "We don't like this any more than you do."
There is a station in Missoula, Montana that puts a completely unique twist on Pledge Week. At KUFM, Pledge Week is a non-stop, 24/7, on-air party! Every person who calls in is thanked by name, and it's fun to hear about your friends calling in. They'll even mention what NPR programming you enjoy. People all over the community offer premiums from farm-fresh eggs and cherry pies to week-long guided float trips on the Missouri River. Every time another $10,000 level is reached, there is a celebration replete with kazoos, applause, and volunteers crying out "Woo-hoo!" The week culminates in a six-hour "Pet Wars," with everyone calling in to pledge for their dogs or cats, the species with the highest number of pledges "winning" for the year. This wrap-up is so popular, it can take over an hour of re-dials just to get through!
For most NPR stations it is the most dreaded week of the year. At KUFM, it is literally the week everyone in town looks forward to!
This example brings to mind something Swami Rama said. Any unhappiness can be eased by choosing one of two paths: Contentment, or adjustment.
In the case of the first choice, we can modify our attitude or reaction to a nettlesome situation (or asana) or disappointment by choosing to be content with things however they might be. "Santosha" is Sanskrit ( click here for a wonderful Sanskrit Pronunciation Guide!) for contentment, one of the Niyamas in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. Other times, we might need to change the things we can, to adjust. Turn a dread into something to celebrate.
Next time you're feeling bothered, ask yourself: Contentment, or Adjustment? What's your pleasure?