I walked with a great friend yesterday, and am smarter for it, as usual.
(Fun background fact: the first time I walked with her it was to discuss an issue in our congregation. She asked me if I had a pencil and paper, which I thought was the dumbest pre-leisurely-hike question I’d ever heard. Damn if I didn’t wish I’d had them by 10 minutes in. This woman shoots no shit.)
One of the things I enjoy most about my friend is how unalike we are. She’s smarter than I am, and has the drive and focus of a particle accelerator. She decided she needed to make more money, and then made more money. To me, this is like deciding to be taller, and then growing more.
But I have this: attention-hogging nerve endings that I indulge. So while she has taught me important grown-up things like take responsibility for your income and encourage your childrens’ passions, even if they’re expensive and involve interacting with parents who are crazy, I have shared simple organism-level gems like taste your food and have the sex.
Sometimes I wonder what she gets out of these walks other than the satisfaction of helping the less intellectually fortunate, but I figure if she can enjoy a good cheese baggage-free, I am pulling my weight. We all bring something.
What I bring is a keen interest in PLEASURE.
I am an expert on pleasure. I experience it, I think about it, and work on getting better at it. I believe this is genuinely important, because life is short, and every moment has an opportunity cost.
Lots of things are pleasurable. Sensory things. Intellectual things. Emotional things. Spiritual things. What they all require is that you be present.
If you’re eating, eat good food. Food that is delicious, that makes your senses happy. Food that is so wonderful you can’t plan your week while it’s in your mouth, because you’re busy tasting it. Food that isn’t good enough to demand your attention isn’t worth eating.
A lot of the treadmill singing is going to be about pleasure.
(edited to remove judgmental line about books, which was contrary to my point.)