Every now and then I dedicate a post to little pleasures that; if they do not bring joy then they at least help me get through the day.
BTW: I had planned to write a post on the value of mediocrity but it came out stilted and preachy, so I abandoned it in favour of lighter fare:
Herewith are the simple pleasures of this mid-life man in no particular order of importance:
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Drink
Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. Benjamin Franklin
After a 27 year hiatus, I’ve begun drinking beer again. Not just any beer but Crabbies an alcoholic ginger beer. I was introduced to it by my friend the gynaecologist. If you are not a Bahamian you won’t see the joke in that. Since I drink about one beer every other month, I should finish a case of it by the middle of 2017. The beer is sold at Liquid Courage.
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Music
Music is the universal language of mankind. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The type of music I’m listening to any given time is dependent upon the task at hand. I have no real favourite genre. Click the links and enjoy:
Soothing Classical Music Compilation – Writing at home or work. Same music on repeat keeps me calm and (sometimes) focused:
Two Steps from Hell Compilations: Cleaning my house, workshop, desk or any other unpleasant task that just has to be done.
Our Samplus or other Chill Mixes by Stay See – Sunday afternoons, light reading, any other opportunity to kick back and relax. Warning: They’ve taken to inserting blaring ads in the middle of the track which definitely harshes the mellow.
Workout with weights/before contentious meetings at work – Electric Pow Wow Drums by A Tribe Called Red
Before I start woodturning – Heavy by Gucci Mane
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Reading
Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life. Mortimer J. Adler
Written by a former Navy SEAL Commander this book lays out through drills and exercises methods to find your purpose, develop your focus, and forge mental toughness. My favourite line in the book is the Smokejumpers Creed “Do today what others won’t; do tomorrow what others can’t”
Resolutions, why are they so hard to keep? This book argues that we most of our behaviours run on autopilot and so we do what we always do even when we want to do better. By making microresolutions (small targeted resolutions) we have a better chance of changing our behaviour. Since I have problems going to bed on time, my microresolution is to “Turn off all lights at 11:00 pm”. By doing this I avoid staying up until 2:00 am
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Watching
I hate television. I hate it as much as peanuts. But I can’t stop eating peanuts. Orson Welles
The Story of God – A very broad topic.The show hosted by Morgan Freeman is interesting but shallow. National Geographic Channel
Vikings – Deceit, treachery, nation building, people being killed with war axes, swords and arrows. Somehow it reminds me of work but with less treachery and more axes. The History Channel
The School of Life – Everything you really should have learned or they tried to teach you in school but condensed into five-minute lessons with nice pictures. Here is my current favourite on Wisdom. Youtube
Thug Notes – Classics of Western Literature as interpreted by an insightful african-american gangsta. Some of the books covered include; Romeo and Juliet, Les Miserables, The Fountainhead, Of Mice and Men, and more current fair such as The Life of Pi and The Hunger Games.
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Hobbies
When your hobbies get in the way of your work – that’s OK; but when your hobbies get in the way of themselves… well. Steve Martin
The quote explains it best. I like taking pictures of the Moon over Montague Beach.
Moon Over Montague Beach
That’s my list of current entertainment, what’s yours? Let me know in the comments.
PEACE.
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