***What do you mean I have to work at life?***

Words
Our discussion group's book for May is Sellevision by Augusten Burroughs. GAC read a couple of passages on Tuesday; the book sounds hilarious.

Weights
Well, no workouts at the gym until I've fully recovered from this cold. That doesn't stop me, though, from preparing the house for the contractors (see below).


Whatever
Yesterday R. and I spent the evening preparing the first floor to be ripped out next week. We boxed tons of books and other miscellaneous items. I calculated we must have used at least seventy boxes, easy. What's more remarkable is what shape we were in while working: I'm fighting a cold and R. was fighting to stay awake after being on-call Tuesday night/Wednesday morning.

The packing brought a sense of deja vu. Over seven years ago, in August(?) we were up all night packing our stuff for the movers. I remember looking at all those boxes and sighing inward. Next time, I promised, I will start far earlier in packing.

Obviously I didn't keep such promises when we were packing last night. I knew about this day for the past couple of months but barely did anything. Thus, I barely bitched about how unfair (as usual) the universe was to us.

Laziness. Stagnation. Procrastination. Any of these words describe my reasons for delay. (None apply to R., who puts in ten hour days and deals with up to four hours of traffic daily plus on-call.) Those words apply to a lot of my endevours.

In many ways, the modern world--especially in First World nations--make it so easy to relax. Food is plentiful and cheap and a great body is but a surgeon's throw away. (And credit cards and their monthly plans ease payment.) Why join your friends when you can talk on the phone with them or use webcams. I remember reading an article on-line that, for the First World, you make time to exercise and get in shape, not work out in the course of a day as part of your regular regimen of food gathering, walking, etc. Even the process of renting a movie requires no more than a pressing a few buttons (for cable) or waiting patiently for a DVD via snail mail.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs illustrated the order which people pursue to satisfy their needs. It's interesting that few folks ever past the social needs. Personally, I believe it's because the two last rungs (esteem and self-actualization) cannot be achieved from outside oneself. You can't buy self-acceptance despite the number of psychologists out there.

I've read plenty of literature about long-term planning and have applied some of them with various degrees of success. All, though, roughly point out that you have to be pro-active to do the specific tasks to achieve your goals. And that requires you have to move.

Ugh. Too much thought. Need to go lie down now. Need to wait for the Muse to inspire me....

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