A few things worth living for

The other week, a co-worker mentioned to me that he had developed two rules which he hoped to keep during his life:


1. Never drink bad coffee.
2. Never listen to bad music.


According to him, there is no excuse for allowing a poor sample of a good thing to lessen one's enjoyment of it. A poor version of a good thing might even make the thing bad. We have been given plenty of delicious coffee and quality music (thanks be to God)! Do not settle. Do not compromise. Life's too short to half-heartedly partake of its pleasures.


In lieu of this realization, I thought I might develop my own list of rules, rendered necessary by the phrase "Life's too short...":


1. Life's too short to speed through it. I start with this rule because it is hard -- especially for someone who likes toget-things-done-as-quickly-as-possible-so-I-can-relax. No, bad plan. This tends to be a frustrating orientation. Sure, there are times when my tasks are minimal and offer no enjoyment, so I can speed through them to something I enjoy more. Most of the time, though, I need to either be able to enjoy the tasks at hand, or be willing to let them go undone if doing them will prevent me from participating in the more substantive moments of life. So, yes, I will make efforts to enjoy doing dishes and take pleasure in restoring order to our apartment. But if it has been a long day and the priority is to "wind down," then the house does not have to be in perfect order for me to sit with a cup of tea and a book for thirty minutes. And it is better to leave my bed unmade and my blow-drier on the counter so I can spend a few minutes in quiet each morning. Lingering over dinner-table conversation verses headed off to accomplish the next "to-do" - also worthwhile. Moral of the story? Slow down. Enjoy.


2. Life's too short to eat boring desserts. Desserts, in my opinion, should be creative in their flavor combinations, have quality ingredients and (on special occasions) have quirky presentation. Not that I won't go for a simple piece of chocolate or a scoop of vanilla ice cream occasionally, but really, how much more do I love pear and salted caramel ice cream or lavender dark chocolate. [One point of no compromise is hot chocolate - it really must be made with fresh, steaming milk and melted chocolate (plus a dash of vanilla and  sprinkle of nutmeg). Boiling water and cocoa powder? No. Never. Why would I replace this creamy, delicious beverage with a thin, watery cup of chocolate flavored sugar? Do you see my point?)


3. Life's too short to blow-dry my hair (Note: I do do this because I am a working woman. But if it were up to me, I would not waste 15 precious minutes of my day getting my hair to a place that it would eventually reach ALL ON ITS OWN).


I know there are many factors that contribute to a life well-lived and enjoyed, but these are three that I think valuable. What about you? What life rules would you establish to make each day (or at least moments of each day) spectacular?