Balance, or The Pursuit of Happiness, or How to Light a Fire in the Middle of January

This past weekend Shana and I went up North for a weekend with some friends. I can't exclaim enough about how fabulous it was. There weren't any particularly fabulous events that made it so great. It wasn't much more than a bit of some intermittent snowshoeing in the beautiful northwoods of Wisconsin with 5 of our friends. We ate, we drank, we sat around talking, we sat around quiet, we played ping pong and scrabble, we snowshoed around and then across Clear Lake, we lit 5 minutes worth of fireworks out the back patio door, and we talked about ice fishing. That was about it. It wasn't the most wild experience I've ever had.

But it changed my perspective and gave me renewed energy like I've never felt before. At first I couldn't figure out what it was. It related to the people that I was with, and simply the relaxed fun we were having. I didn't realize until much later that the fact that it was in such stark contrast to the work I've been doing. I have a tendency to bog myself down with obligations, and I forget what really matters in life. And this weekend up north reminded me that obligations, although important, are not what makes life worth living.

What I'm trying to say is that balance is important. Obligations need to be taken care of, but dreams and ideas need to be entertained. Without pursuing creative interests, life gets dull. It's important to take time for the pursuit of happiness.