Some days feel monotonous. Today is one of those days. I wake up, eat the same food, work at the same desk, talk to the same people, and go to bed at the same time. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful to be alive, but sometimes it’s maddeningly boring. While I risk sounding melodramatic, I’mContinue reading Today is bleh.
Saturday is my catch-all day for the rest of the week. I have lawns to mow, kids to monitor in the completion of their chores, electrical circuits to fix, water heaters to replace, and, well you get the idea. There’s a never-ending stream of things to do around my house. That’s why reading MUST beContinue reading Saturday Reading
I don’t have time to write today’s post, but I’m doing it anyway. I’m an accountant, and with the tax deadline looming, my industry is slammed. I don’t do taxes personally, but I am a partner in the firm and that’s enough madness for one day. Anyway, I’m writing this at 7:45 p.m. after havingContinue reading There’s Always Time
My alarm goes off every morning at 6:30 a.m., and my first thought is always the same thing: What am I reading today? I’m so excited to get up, find my books, and get lost in my thoughts. I have no predilection toward drugs or other distraction because reading fills every gap in my life.Continue reading The Drug of Reading Books
For the past few days, warblers have sung from my trees. The tulip bulbs my daughter planted last fall sprouted and the grass turned from pale yellow to hopeful green. Yesterday, I dug out the sunscreen and flip-flops to do some work in the yard. It was glorious. And now it’s snowing. This happens everyContinue reading Oh, Darn.
I’ve been reading Walden again, and Thoreau reminded me of the value in doing nothing. Thoreau would paddle his boat to the middle of Walden Pond, pull the oars in, and then lie on his back across the seats until the boat eventually drifted to shore. This would take hours, and in that time, whatContinue reading The Value of Doing Nothing
Rock climbers are crazy. What on earth drives a person to crawl up the face of a 1,000 foot cliff? I understand that the view is breathtaking and the rush of doing something impossible is rewarding, but I can think of other ways to experience reverie without dangling precipitously over my death. And yet, everyContinue reading Sieze the Sunday
In Walden, Henry David Thoreau built a cabin in the woods that he might live deliberately. He wanted to get rid of the unnecessary claims on his attention so that he could focus on the act of being human (80). It struck me yesterday that we’re all looking for our personal Waldens. There’s a forceContinue reading I Will Live Deliberately
Why should you learn something new? Maybe life is better lived without progress, merit, or hard work. After all, you can’t take your career with you when you die. The books you read will not pass beyond the grave. The things you build will likely be forgotten in a few generations at best. Despite theseContinue reading A Moral Obligation To Do Good Work