The Adventurous Spirit

"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future."

--- Chris McCandless, letter to a friend, taken from Into the Wild


This quote always makes me think about where I am in my life.  My future is about as secure as one's future can be, which is good in a responsible way.  But sometimes I think that secure future is stopping me from being really happy now, and squashing my adventurous spirit.  My job is OK - not my dream job, but OK.  Some days really suck, and other days are OK, but none are great.  So why do I keep this job?  Mostly because of the secure future - because of good retirement benefits, good health benefits, a decent salary, and a fairly large number of vacation days (compared to most private-sector jobs). Plus, I kind of sealed my fate by going to law school - I'm pretty much stuck in the legal world now.  I take some awesome vacations, but in between those times, I am not very satisfied with my daily routine.  I'm only 35 and I'm counting the days until retirement, when I can really have some fun.  I don't want to wait until 30 years to enjoy life - I want to enjoy it now! 

Ideally I would either have a job where I worked outside (like being a park ranger or a nature photographer or something), or I would own my own bookstore.  I have really been thinking about the bookstore thing, but people don't love books anymore.  Everyone has e-readers, and even big bookstores can't stay in business.  It would be cool to be a law school librarian, but that would require another degree, and there isn't a program for that around here.  Maybe I can just sell all my stuff and live in my tent.

Feeling a little rough this first morning of 2012?

If your New Year's Eve was anywhere near as fun as mine, you probably greeted the first morning of 2012 with a groan and a headache.  Luckily for us, I found this article, and thought today is the perfect time to share it:  12 Hangover Cures from Famous Heavy Drinkers.  Who knows how to cure a hangover better than some of my favorite writers, like Ernest Hemingway or William Faulkner??  But my favorite cure comes from Dean Martin:  "Stay drunk."

I'm not famous, but I'm going to share my own hangover cure.  I think it is pretty effective, and really easy.  When you wake up all dizzy at 5:00 am, with a raging headache and sick stomach, feeling like you might die, get out of bed, take a handful of advil, drink a 32-ounce bottle of G2, and go back to sleep.  When you wake up again, you should feel like a new person.  If you don't, move on to step 2.  Get out of bed and, still wearing your pajama pants, go to the nearest Irish pub (if you are in Seattle, I recommend the Celtic Swell on Alki).  Have an Irish coffee, with extra Jameson, and some waffle dogs (Irish sausage wrapped in waffle).  Follow that with another Irish coffee and a traditional Irish breakfast.  (As you can see, today was a step 2 day for me.)

You'll feel like a million bucks - or at least like you might not die. 

Happy 2012!