May 4, 2008

You know, there’s really nothing like the little luxuries in life, the short moments where you feel that yes, I’m here, right now, in this moment—and enjoying myself. Being home and having a cup of coffee brought to you as you stare blearily and fuzzily at the computer screen trying to solve MegaSudoku is one of those. Sitting on the just-screened-in front porch in Georgia with Daisy and listening to birds chirp is another. A long, leisurely dinner with friends on Friday night and again tonight is, I expect, another one.

All the “stuff” that we have doesn’t add to those moments (okay, the coffee machine helped!), but when I think about what stuff is really important to me, it boils down to a pretty short list.

So call me satisfied. Yeah, a hot tub would be nice on cold mornings. A DVD player in Georgia might help the boredom. But in five or ten years, those would just be more “stuff” I don’t need. And, truth to tell, I want them…but it’s a wishy-washy want. I want a hot tub—but I don’t want the maintenance or the bills. I want a DVD player, but what will I do then but complain about the junk on TV? Or succumb to its allure, which would be worse, and mindlessly babble on about the latest shows.

Dinner last night came from the farmer’s market—a salad and some red potatoes with vinegar and olive oil. Yum. From now on, before I buy anything, I’m going to ask myself whether it adds to the quality or the quantity of life, the needs or the wants. Will I still want this (whatever it is) in ten years? No, I’ve changed my mind already—because I know that I’ll give in to wants if it’s the latest Laurie King book, no matter if I’ll never read it again, or something else just as impermanent. I’ll not make rules for life, because I’ll undoubtedly break them again at some point, and then feel…dissatisfied with myself. I’m just going to live…mindfully. Yes, that works.

And yes, my current book is influencing my thought: Discovering World Religions at 24 Frames per Second (in other words, exploring religion through films). It’s actually very well written and (a big plus) I’m enjoying it. I can’t say that about many of the books I edit. Unfortunately, enjoying the book makes the editing harder—because I have to concentrate on what I’m doing instead of skimming, my usual mode of reading. I want to read, I have to edit.