The More Noble and Glorious Purpose

I haven't been using my 24 inch gauge very effectively lately, and the rhythm of my day-to-day life has gotten a bit out of whack. This is not surprising, with the pressures of my day job, a house that needs to be move-in ready within the next month and a half, and overly optimistic voluntary commitments I'm trying to fulfill so that I can then extricate myself therefrom.

In an effort to right the ship, so to speak, I'm trying to make a conscious effort to avoid blatant time-sinks like surfing the internets or blathering on and on here. (A tough thing to do when you build web sites and applications for a living.) Nevertheless, with discipline I hope to get back on track.

So, I may be going quiet here for a while, but it's only because of the natural ebb and flow of life's priorities; about six months ago I was playing banjo and mandolin so much that I was seriously contemplating trying to get a band together. Now, I've barely touched either instrument over the last 3 or 4 months.

Late in 2006 I optimistically purchased a years' membership in the Guild of American Luthiers; I've been interested in Lutherie for quite a long time, and I thought last year might be the year I actually build a playable instrument from start to finish. The entire year of 2007 went by without my completing so much as a 3-string cigar box guitar, and I let my membership lapse... I highly doubt I'll have the time or space to work on instruments any time this year.

My siblings and I are total card and board game junkies, having wiled away hundreds of companiable childhood hours over many of Parker Brothers' and Milton Bradley's finest. I have board games that I either purchased myself or received as gifts that have gone unopened and/or unplayed for more than a year.

I've been struggling with this issue of having too many interests and too little time and/or money for the last few years, and although I don't know if there's really a solution I think there's at least a healthy attitude with which you can approach the problem: Recognize that it's OK to put an interest back on the shelf for a while. I think too many people equate "taking a break from" with "being a quitter" or "being a failure", and wind up being way more bitter and/or frustrated than they need to be.

And there... I just chewed up most of my lunch break putting this together. I really must take a step back for a while!