The Good Life

I've been trying to think about how to write about this topic for quite a few days, now. It seems to me like a lot of my loved ones are mulling over this question, recently, in its various capacities: what is the Good Life? Whenever I start to think about it, I instinctively remind myself that I'm fortunate to have the wherewithal to ponder the question in the first place; I'm not so consumed by my bodily needs that they outweigh the existential needs.

I don't really know what to say, anyway. I see many different forms of answers, and of course I expect that people continue to ask the question for the duration of their lives (I think of my grandfather, for instance, who seems to alternate between despair and peace/patience).

The struggle is most obvious for my younger sister, sytharin, who made a big decision to move and change her focus, who wants to carve out a life for herself that is aligned with her values.

I think that's all I have to say on the subject, for now. Tomorrow, scrottie and I return to Phoenix, with all of its benefits and drawbacks, where I will be most strongly consumed by dissertation-writing. You might find it strange to learn that I'm looking forward to it, but I am. I don't expect I'll ever get to have the same sort of experience in my life, again, unless some day I reach a point where I can sit down to write a (meaningful) book for a few years.