POP QUIZ

Woohoo! I've passed the half-way mark here in Dallas. If nothing else goes wrong with my Mom or sister, I'll be heading back to Wimberley on Saturday. One of my biggest concerns about leaving home for two weeks was the state of drought that Central Texas is in right now. Much like California and Australia, we have been bumped up out of the "severe drought" category, and have been slapped with a new label: "exceptional drought." The danger of wildfires is very real, and my heart goes out to everyone in Australia who has recently lost homes and/or loved ones.

One often plays the game of wondering "What would I try to save, if I only had a few minutes to grab what I could, before fleeing?" One thing I have noticed, since embarking on this path to The Good Life, is that the list of things that would distress me to lose has grown smaller and smaller. Now it contains only one thing really: each other.

Sure, there are a few things I am sentimental about: the shawl my daughter knitted for me, a heart shaped paperweight my husband gave me, etc. Photos used to be a real biggie, but thanks to the digital revolution, it would be fairly easy to rebuild our collection. Family members all have photos of the kids growing up, and friends who lived overseas with us would surely share their archives. The truth is, there are a lot of past mistakes that I would be relieved to be rid of. In fact, I have read articles by more than one person who said that after the first shock of losing everything to a fire wore off, what surprised them most was the sense of feeling somehow "liberated." When I think of the task that lies ahead of us, when it comes to shutting down the townhouse in Houston and trying to decide what to do with all that "stuff", knowing that our little house in Wimberley is already full to the brim, and when I remember what we went through, trying to clear out 70 or 80 years worth of accumulated stuff from our parents' homes, I can understand why they might feel that way. The truth is, living the good life has absolutely nothing to do with what we own, and everything to do with attitude.

Now class, let us review. Pull out pen and paper, and describe five attributes of "The Good Life." Our lists won't necessarily be the same, but I think it's important to just take the time to clarify one's values periodically. Here are my top five priorities, at this stage in my life:

1. Living Authentically: I have finally figured out what makes me happy - what is important to me and what is not, what I am passionate about - and I am trying to live my life accordingly, even if it bucks the status quo.
2. Community: Most in my generation were raised to believe that being strong, independent, and ambitious was a very good thing. It's a dog-eat-dog world out there, and you need to claw your way to the top. That mentality can leave us feeling very isolated and vulnerable, and probably contributed to the greed and excess that has destroyed many industries of late. There is a lot to be said for the sense of connectedness, belonging and support that one feels when one nourishes a sense of community. It matters not whether it is a small town, a large family, a knitting circle, a church, or a community of gardeners. What matters is feeling that you are part of something bigger than yourself, and that others care about your well-being, just as you care about theirs.
3. Seasonality: I now embrace seasonality, in all its permutations, whether it is in cooking, eating, gardening, decorating, entertaining, celebrating, or appreciating life's stages. Seasonality is the spice of life. It gives us variety, inspires creativity, and keeps us waking up in anticipation, rather than drowning in a sea of never-ending sameness.
4. Connection: I believe in the connectedness of all mankind, and that the actions of each can send out ripples that affect every other - not just now, but for generations to come. One must be cognizant of how foolish it is to believe that any one person can actually "own" a piece of this planet, for as a great wise man once said ('though I have no idea who it was), when you look at the big picture of time, we are each a mere speck on the ass of a gnat, as seen through the window of a car as it hurtles past at 200 mph. We are not owners, we are but caretakers, and our only legacy will be whether we chose to be good or bad stewards.
5. Balance: Life is not good, unless it is balanced. Time for hard work must be balanced by time for play. There should be time devoted to family and community, but there must also be time for oneself. One needs time for exercise and activity, as well as time for rest and reflection. The Good Life provides adequate income for life's necessities, basic comforts, and a modicum of security. Period. It does not allow earning and spending to become the be-all and end-all of one's existence.

But remember - these are just my thoughts on the subject. What are yours?