Living Well

Living Well

We all seem to work at living well.  How we do it depends on our circumstances and what we value.  Brother Jim, who is struggling with health problems, values going to work to see customers, and spending time with his dear wife Carmen every day.  Sister Mary treasures her trips to see sons Patrick and Jon, and values other family ties and her creative abilities.  She is a CASA volunteer.  Wife Carolyn and I have values similar to theirs.  Integrity matters to Carolyn.  I go for pragmatic responses to life.  She helps keep me honest, and I help keep it real.   Friend Denny, who is very outgoing, loves his family and has never met a stranger.  He values new experiences and challenges.  Clearly, other people in our lives are part of what it takes to live well—even if you sometimes need to get away and be alone for a while.

Some folks feel that it takes lots of money.  The late Jim Moore once told me that the difference between being rich and being poor came down to comfort.  That was true when he said it years ago, but times have changed.  These days the categories that matter to most of us are not ‘rich’ and ‘poor’.  They are ‘financially adequate’ and ‘destitute’.  More and more, the difference matters in terms of health, physical and mental development, educational ability and opportunities of all kinds.  It’s true that money doesn’t matter unless you don’t have it.  Increasing costs require us to carefully define our spending priorities, and sort away many of the ‘wants’ to accommodate the ‘needs’ of living well. 

Helping other people is part of the deal.  Many of us start as youthful project participants and go on to find something that matters to us.  You could help by encouraging your kids to find such a cause in their lives.  Around here, we have lots of volunteers.  People who help with community theater and other events, and those who help deliver meals, ring bells, and build Habitat for Humanity homes—all sorts of volunteers.  They say a lot about a community.  Rich and not-so-rich people come together to help others and make this a better place to call home.  That is integrity…and pragmatism.  That’s the way it is around here, and I like it.