Warning: Philosophical Bullshit-O-Meter set to 9
A friend of mine once commented that "getting there is all the fun," and the fact that it's not a unique thought doens't make it any less true.
I'm reading a book called "Tuva or Bust!" about eccentric genius physicist Richard Fenyman's "last journey." He and his partner in crime, author Ralph Leighton, decide one night that they absolutely must see the obscure Central Asian/Russian outpost of Tuva, because the place used to issue cool postage stamps and the capital city has no vowels in it. In the introduction, Leighton writes, "As with life, I think this story will be enjoyed most if the reader does not decide beforehand what it is about."
185 pages and most of the book later, they're still not in Tuva, though their attempts to wangle favors from the Soviets to get there have been entertaining. I don't know if they're going to get to Tuva and it's amusingly-spelled capital Kyzyl, and it matters less and less. I guess that was the point: a journey can be a journey, not a destination. Rick and I go off on similar Missions from God about various locations, though ours generally only last a night. Last night, we broke out the world atlas and spent some happy time deciding we need to go to Botswana. Then we looked online for pictures of Botswana, which led us to pictures of Chile, South Africa, Alaska...good times were had, and that mediates the depressing thought that we may not ever get to any of these places.
This all works well with my philosophy that, to a certain extent, success in life can be measured by how you answer the question, "Did I have a good day today?" You just have to find enough joy in your day to balance whatever shit you had to do (and there's always something) that made you miserable. Are you able to have a good day today? If so, you're doing fine. If not, find a way to have a good day before you go to bed.
Pardon me for channeling Robert Fulghum there. No analogies about kindergarten are forthcoming, I promise.
A friend of mine once commented that "getting there is all the fun," and the fact that it's not a unique thought doens't make it any less true.
I'm reading a book called "Tuva or Bust!" about eccentric genius physicist Richard Fenyman's "last journey." He and his partner in crime, author Ralph Leighton, decide one night that they absolutely must see the obscure Central Asian/Russian outpost of Tuva, because the place used to issue cool postage stamps and the capital city has no vowels in it. In the introduction, Leighton writes, "As with life, I think this story will be enjoyed most if the reader does not decide beforehand what it is about."
185 pages and most of the book later, they're still not in Tuva, though their attempts to wangle favors from the Soviets to get there have been entertaining. I don't know if they're going to get to Tuva and it's amusingly-spelled capital Kyzyl, and it matters less and less. I guess that was the point: a journey can be a journey, not a destination. Rick and I go off on similar Missions from God about various locations, though ours generally only last a night. Last night, we broke out the world atlas and spent some happy time deciding we need to go to Botswana. Then we looked online for pictures of Botswana, which led us to pictures of Chile, South Africa, Alaska...good times were had, and that mediates the depressing thought that we may not ever get to any of these places.
This all works well with my philosophy that, to a certain extent, success in life can be measured by how you answer the question, "Did I have a good day today?" You just have to find enough joy in your day to balance whatever shit you had to do (and there's always something) that made you miserable. Are you able to have a good day today? If so, you're doing fine. If not, find a way to have a good day before you go to bed.
Pardon me for channeling Robert Fulghum there. No analogies about kindergarten are forthcoming, I promise.
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