Unfinished jobs, projects, tasks on your to do lists, just sitting there like a virtual weight around your neck. Constantly reminding you that they are still there unfinished. That thing you started with zeal and enjoyment that petered out over time or was paused for some long forgotten reason.
We all have them. Unfinished furniture or classic vehicles in our garages, artwork or manuscripts in the study, or scale models and faulty electronics on the dining room table or windowsill awaiting attention.
We should all practice the subtle art of finishing. Either make time to finish the thing once and all or if we no longer want or need to, to take a leaf out of Marie Kondo’s book and just thank it for the experiences and memories and let it go. Discard it, gift it, donate it, turn it into spare parts, or even burn it.
The aim is to remove the unfinished from our life and move on with one less weight on our shoulders. Go give it a try. Finish it.
Category: life
Reducing alcohol this summer
I’ve been trying to reduce the amount of alcohol I drink. With the warmer weather it’s getting harder as it’s nice to sit in your garden with a good book and a cold glass of your favourite tipple.
I tried the non-alcoholic versions of popular drinks. Most don’t taste anything like the original and contain too much sugar. You are effectively giving up one vice for another.
In theory we should all just drink water, ensuring that we consume the required three litres a day to remain healthy. But this is boring, taste wise.
My latest tactic is to have cold filtered water with ice with a little something such as a slice of lime or lemon, or even cucumber. It gives the water a little something making it slightly interesting while hydrating.
What are you drinking this summer?
The dreams you had
Reflection, nostalgia, looking back.
I recall a memory from long ago. I was travelling around New Zealand and I had made some friends, some fellow travellers. We were in a big town somewhere, a park, laying down on the grass staring up at the sky looking at the clouds. We discussed our travels, where we had been and where we were going. We discussed our futures our dreams.
Looking back you remember the dreams you had and compare them to the life you lead. Each decision takes you in a different direction. No matter how small the decision. Your life is what you make it to be.
Regrets are pointless. You can’t change the decisions you’ve already made and how you have lead your life so far. If your dreams didn’t come true then that’s ok. Make new ones. Each new day that you wake up to is full of endless possibilities. When you get older each day where you wake up is a good day. Enjoy it. Make new dreams.
Two people on a date
I’ve been out walking and found a bar that looks inviting. I order a coffee and sit by a window and unpack my gadgets with the intention of getting stuck into some writing. I take a sip of my overpriced beverage knowing what I actually paid for is a place to work for the next thirty or so minutes. The coffee being the price of admission.
I gaze at the other patrons. On the nearest table is a couple clearly out on a date. I’m not sure if it’s going well though as they are both holding their phones in front of them smiling at whatever it is they are reading or typing.
Their food arrives and they eat in silence then resume their phone use. Maybe they are not on a date but are married, or long term partners? Either way I’m bemused by the lack of conversation. They could be saving money by eating at home or in a fast food restaurant. This place isn’t exactly cheap. Yet they are willing to pay to go out somewhere expensive only to sit opposite each other staring into their mobile phones.
I continue with my writing and when I next look up their table is empty. The two possible lovers having moved on. Maybe their phone batteries died and they are now holding hands enjoying the moment as they wander the streets. Or maybe they’ve gone to find their chargers.
Clive the barman
I have this memory from my first holiday abroad. An island off the coast of Spain. On the beach was a tiki bar. A round bar with stools on the outside and Clive the barman on the inside making whatever drink you wanted.
I often think back to that bar thinking if I could just retire to a tropical island I’ll spend all my time at the tiki bar staring out at the cool blue water, over the perfect white sands, feeling the cool breeze while watching customer after customer ordering drinks with all colours of the rainbow, mini umbrellas and fruit being served by Clive the barman.
The price of admission
I was reading an interview one time, with I think Tim Ferriss, and the topic was expensive dining experiences. The gist of the conversation was that he was happy to pay for an expensive drink and food if it guaranteed exclusivity or privacy. The theory was that the higher prices would keep out the general public and therefore the drink and location could be enjoyed in relative peace at a premium price.
I’ve been thinking about this recently. Prices are generally high for everything these days, but there are a few places that seem to charge way more over the average. Discounting those that are obviously fleecing or are in a premium area of real estate and have to cover higher business rates, there are a few places that offer exclusivity and privacy if you are prepared to pay a higher premium for drinks, food, or whatever else it is that they are selling.
In return for a quiet space with ambience (and wifi) I find myself willing to pay the extra as a form of price of admission. Are you?
Passing through cold space
I had a weird thought.
I was thinking about absolute versus relative locations and fixed points and how we are all essentially travelling through space on a giant rotating ball. With each rotation our physical bodies are passing through fixed points in space previously unoccupied. Somewhere right now in deep space is a fixed point that contains nothing but extreme cold, waiting for you to physically pass through on a future rotation, occupying it for a brief moment.
Each day we are passing through cold space.
There’s can and should
There’s can and should.
You can drink as much as you want, but you probably should drink, and eat, healthy.
You can watch as much TV as you want, in theory. But you should probably go outside more and enjoy the world and all it has to offer.
Can and should. The freedom to choose what you do. It’s both liberating and a curse. The state of your health and life in general can be broken down into lots and lots of tiny decisions adding up.
You can do whatever you want, but should you?
How long is a piece of string
In the UK we switched from imperial to decimal measurements decades ago. That’s the official line. What actually happened is that we found it hard to switch and even the latest generation are confused.
Stand on the scales and you can report your weight in pounds and stone or kilos. Measure your new carpet in meters or feet and inches. Don’t get me started on how we measure a field.
If visiting the UK and you have a question about measurements, prepare to have a converter at hand.
At what point do you stop spending money on something?
I love my printer.
I took ages buying it. I researched the market, narrowed down to a handful of options then selected the one I wanted. An all-in-one office printer with a discrete loading tray for the paper, quiet operation, flatbed scanner, effortless double-sided printing and cheap ink options.
Then things started to fail after many years of good service. I learned how to clean the heads. Inks stopped working after firmware updates. I had to replace the maintenance box. Inks lasted only a few pages. Money kept trickling through my fingers spent on paper, maintenance tools, and ink.
At what point do you stop spending money on something? When do you decide enough is enough? You are just throwing more money away. If it can be fixed then it’s beyond your skillset or an amount that you are willing to spend.
I hate throwing things in landfills so I’ll probably gift it to someone in the hope they can make use of it. Then disposing of it becomes their problem. Their landfill karma.
I loved my printer.