Appreciating what I have
A week or so ago, my sister commented on a post I made about preparing for the Balticon Art Show. She thanked me for the peek into my life and expressed a little bit of envy for all the cool things I get to do. In particular she mentioned the conventions I get to attend, the podcast I got to participate in, the book layout I do, and organizing panels for an art show. It was a good reality check for me. I am so busy scrambling to get everything done, that I forget how fortunate I am. Howard and I are able to make a living doing work that we really enjoy. Of course, being an older sister, I had to point out to her that she lives in Europe where I would love to go, but never have. Also she has gone on writer’s retreats, which I envy.
Humans have an amazing capacity to find extraordinary experiences boring. If you have ever been bored on a plane or surfing the internet, then you have done it too. I remember seeing a video clip of an interview where the interviewee starts talking about how the world we live in is amazing and people get so impatient with it. I particularly remember the line where, talking about cell phone reception, he said “Give it a minute, the signal has to go to space!” Just because it is common, does not qualify as an excuse. I need to spend more time appreciating my life and less time tolerating it.