The distance between excess and deficiency

Read Me

It's been about thirty some odd years that I've been on my journey of life. And I think I'm just now beginning to understand and appreciate the virtue of living in moderation. Aristotle speaks of virtue to be habit or a trained faculty. Saying that I've had to train myself to search for the mean in life is a huge understatement. He goes on to allude that the mean will be different for different people. That living in virtue and happiness is relative and not mathematical in nature. Thank goodness!

I have come to the conclusion that the only way to truly celebrate life and squirm around in the rich decadence that is waiting beyond every corner is to live in moderation. (most of the time) It seems really simple, but in this overindulging society we live in there are so many that take it to the extreme, myself included for these past 33 years. But I have discovered I simply enjoy pleasure much more deeply if it's special....and isn't that the point....to enjoy it?

"With regard to pleasantness in amusement, he who observes the mean may be called witty, and his character wittiness; excess may be called buffoonery, and the man is a buffoon; while "tedious" may stand for the person who is deficient, and "tediousness" describes his character. "

I had to read all the way to the end to make it to my favorite part. Since my focus lately has been on trying to extract pleasure from life.

I'm having a rough couple of days in the "joy-finding" department. I'm hoping soon to see how I can figure this thing out. Guessing and second guessing and third guessing myself is exhausting. And at the end of the day, I'm the only one who has to live with the consequences I suppose. As much as I seek moderation, I think it doesn't exist in all scenarios. I guess that would be all too easy. My brain is starting to smoke so I suppose this is all for now. I think I kinda took a turn for the vague, but oh well.

La Joie de Vivre

Who'd have thought I'd be getting some wisdom from Jessica Simpson. (I DO love her, and think she is one of the sweetest things ever, but I didn't know she'd get me thinking.)

So she's got a show on VH1, The Price of Beauty, and it's interesting to say the least. In different exotic locals she looks into what that culture perceives as beautiful. And then the flip side where someone went too far for beauty. I guess we Americans aren't the only ones capable of going to extremes.

While in France she is turned onto the phrase, "la joie de vivre"...Joy of living. Wikipedia has this to say, "can be a joy of conversation, joy of eating, joy of anything one might do… And joie de vivre may be seen as a joy of everything, a comprehensive joy, a philosophy of life, a worldview."

I aspire to this...I dream of this...I lie and say I live this. I do my best, but often come up short. I so many times forget that there is so much joy to be found in living. It's easy to find the joy in the big things, but my goal is to extract all the joy from even the most simple moment.


Por ejemplo...
When I wake up before my alarm goes off I get pissed for missing an extra fifteen minutes of sleep. Instead I should be happy to know my body is rested, ready to start the day, and joyful to start the day in such a peaceful way.

The phrase is about the joy of living; not the joy of life. I want to be very specific about this. Enjoying life seems so passive. Enjoying living is an action. A conscience decision I must make every day. An active process of extracting the happiness from everything I do. Hopefully, I'll get get better; for now I'm gonna go find the joy in a bubble bath.