Unbridled Enthusiasms: Secrets of a Contented Man

“A man becomes preeminent, he's expected to have enthusiasms. Enthusiasms, enthusiasms... What are mine? What draws my admiration? What is that which gives me joy?”. Without bludgeoning a henchman to death with a wooden baseball bat, let me tell you what I fancy. These days my eldest seems obsessed with “favorites”, constantly inquiring on a variety of topics as to what I believe to be my favorite things. The question always leaves me scratching my head. I have come to the realization over the past several months that this obsession with one’s favorites is truly the benchmark for contentment. For a well raised child, the world is good and it is safe. Unscathed by the rigors and realities of life, they can blissfully contemplate not just that which is good and makes them happy, but that which is “best” and makes them truly joyful.  Those of us that have been grinding it out in the cold, cold world realize that life isn’t always “good” and to contemplate the “best” seems a fools game. In fact, I would argue that if one finds themselves in such a place in life to allow them endeavor into such contemplation, they should stay put. It is the “you have arrived” moment that we are all seeking in life and is more precious than the Holy Grail. The ability to examine that which is best or “favored” is to acknowledge that “life is good”. That, in its simplest terms, is contentment. Knowing that I am unlikely to find true contentment in the near future, I am left to contend with the task of defining my favorite things in this world in an ever increasing effort to keep my kid off of my back whenever our conversations lead to the inevitable question, “Dad, what is your favorite . . . “.  Favoritism is a fickle beast and changes for many folks as often they change their socks. I have friends, in fact, that seemingly have a new favorite every other day. This is not the contentment of which I speak. Keeping that in mind, it is difficult for me to classify things as a “favorite”. For me, the concept must be time tested to make the list. Music, for example, is one that I dare not qualify in these terms. When the eldest inquires as to my “favorite” song, I honestly don’t have an answer. I love all types of music, so the best I can give him is that “right now” my favorite song is . . . As it does for most folks out there, my tastes and in turn favor for many things seems to change with the turning of the seasons. Some concepts are so fluid that I wouldn’t dare try to put them in such a box. After some thoughtful examination of my life, however, there are a few things that do stand the test of time and as such, I am very willing to call them my favorite things. The following is a short list of but 10 of those items. I favored them for as long as my memory serves and I see no reason for this to change in the foreseeable future. Perhaps one day I will sit down and create a more extensive list, but for now I am content in knowing that the journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step.


So, here is the short list in no particular order. Maybe you share in some of these passions and maybe you don’t. I don’t really give a damn either way . . . get your own blog.


1. Bacon


2. Naked Ladies


3. The last two hours of sleep in the morning or that feeling you get when you wake up thinking it is morning and you realize you still have several hours of sleep left.


4. Sneezing and Pooping (not at the same time)


5. The feeling of survival you get after you are done vomiting.


6. A good pair of shoes for my feet, a huge watch for my wrist and a hat for my bald head.


7. Hotel room service (closest thing I will ever get to having a Butler instead of being one)


8. Cold sheets at night when you first climb into bed and warm sheets in the morning when you don’t want to climb back out again.


9. Punching an opponent in the face without being punched back.  (fighting may be the greatest sport on earth)


10. Brown Gravy


Please don’t mistake this for a top ten list. I originally drafted a very poetic list containing items like Christmas Eve Snow and the smell of fresh cut grass, but it ended up sounding like the diary of a 13 year old girl, so I scrapped it in favor of this somewhat less artfully drafted version of the truth. In the end, I have determined that there are so few that actually read this anymore that the content matters very little. To that end, I have decided that the online version of this project has come to an end. I imagine I will continue writing, as it really IS one of my FAVORITE things, but I don’t necessarily need to share it with anyone to enjoy the process.  Perhaps I am contented after all.  It has been a good run, and I wish you all the best. Until our paths cross again on this continent or another. Jack Butler . . . over and OUT.