Life Is Good

I am sitting here typing on my laptop at my favorite cafe counting my blessings as I realize how good I’ve got it. I came here this morning with my lovely wife on a scenic drive through fog-laden countryside and cool, crisp weather. After she gets off work this afternoon we are cruising in our convertible to get a bite to eat at our favorite restaurant before heading to an outdoor jazz concert.

Tomorrow we are planning to sleep late and eat our favorite breakfast at home before heading on our scooter to a classic car festival in our quaint lakeside community. On Sunday, we are planning to picnic at a local park with friends of ours whom we haven’t gotten together with for more than a year. All in all, a dream weekend by any account.

As I reflect about my good life, I am reminded of the “Life is Good” lifestyle brand, whose motto is, “Do what you love, love what you do.” To me that is one of the keys to living a life you love. I may not love everything about my life, but I am enjoying the overall journey and that is what counts in my book.

Poke the Box

Best-selling author Seth Godin has earned a reputation as an out-of-the-box thinker and his latest book called Poke the Box is no exception. The book is the first title from The Domino Project, his paradigm-shifting attempt to revolutionize publishing by simplifying the process of connecting books and readers.

Powered by Amazon, Godin’s electronic book venture is designed to be a game-changer, and while it may be too early to comment on that, Poke the Box is indeed a provocative “manifesto about starting,” as he calls it.

Godin’s mantra is start it and ship it, suggesting that he who hesitates is lost. In his own words, “soon is not as good as now.” He points out that not all flux is necessarily risky and insists that not flowing with flux may be the riskiest move of all.

“It’s easy to fall so in love with the idea of starting that we never actually start,” writes Godin in a line that hits all too close to home. According to him, when the cost of poking the box is less than the cost of doing nothing, then you should poke. And I could not agree more!

Pull the Plug

It's time to pull the plug. No, not on granny…on your electronics. Tomorrow is the second iteration of the National Day of Unplugging, which I first blogged about last year under my post titled “Sabbath Manifesto,” and my wife and I are planning to participate yet again this year. It isn’t extraordinarily challenging for us since we generally at least stay offline on the weekends but it’ll be good to extend the unplugging to our other electronics also.

To that point, judging by most people’s placement of televisions at the center of their homes (myself included) you’d think life literally revolved around them (mine doesn’t) but it is possible to live without them. As a matter of fact, I’ve gone without television for extended periods of time, including the month or so a few years ago when my present one had to be repaired. At any rate, whether it’s the computer, television, phone, stereo, or other electronic device, I think we’ll all be better off unplugging them for at least a day.