At first, I thought I just had a high tolerance threshold. I thought I was just able to tolerate annoying things better than most people. I thought that’s why I can live in Saudi Arabia without many of the nice things other people have back in America or even other teachers have in other countries. That’s why I can live without A/C through a Korean summer. That’s why I can get by with less.
But then, I’m not really tolerant. When I focus on these things (or not having these thing), I get annoyed just like anyone else. I might have learned how to control it better than some, but I’m definitely worse than some others.
Instead, I think what I’ve developed is a low contentment threshold. It’s not that I can tolerate a lot. It’s that I can be content with a little.
I didn’t develop this skill, this habit, through any brilliance of my own. Partially, I inherited it from my parents or learned it from their example. The rest was a result of the conscious choice I make to be a Christian. In other words, I don’t choose to be content – I choose to be a Christian, and as a result, I am content.
And being content is pole vault levels better than the alternatives.
