Rare Privileges
Here's an idle thought.. In trying to shake myself out of the occasional bouts of doubt and self-pity, I've realized that one of the best ways to counter thoughts of what you don't have are to think of things you do have. Accordingly, I'm going beyond the usual "Things that make me happy" and considering the more rare things I enjoy. Things I can boast about that most people probably can't.
First of all, I'm one of the only people I know that's more or less a fully trained ukulele player. Granted, this particular talent hasn't served me at all beyond a pleasant musical diversion, but hey! I can play uke, and most people can't. It's lightweight and portable, and it's a happy little instrument. It's kind of like the banjo: there are no depressing ways to play it.
I have regularly replenished supplies of some of the best green tea in China. I get them as gifts from a very close friend of mine from China. Granted, our friendship means more than enough to me where I could do fine without the tea as long as Qing is still around, but still, real Chinese tea is a rare privilege. It's damn good stuff. It tastes great, it's soothing, and there's something almost euphoric about drinking it. You feel surprisingly good afterwards, and if you have a cold or some sort of ailment, it doesn't bother you as much for a while. This is definitely not something Lipton can boast.
My dorkiest side has been fully indulged. I have a digital projector mounted on my ceiling and a screen hung over my closet. I've watched a lot of movies in full super-sized glory, and they look awesome up on the screen. I even played a video game on the big screen all the way through. When most people watch movies, they probably have to make do with their puny little TV sets or their even punier iPods. Not me. I've got out the heavy duty stuff. Oh yeah. I'm cool....well, the projector is anyway.
I once gave a class teaching presentation (while in Fredonia) that was so good, the teacher asked if she could use it to teach future students. I had people walk up to me on campus to praise me for the job I did up in front of the class, and half a year later, after I finished a full semester at UB, I visited Fredonia very briefly, and someone recognized and remembered me fully because of my presentation. All this for a class presentation. How often does that happen!?
I'm my own best friend's best friend, and I rank very highly on both Qing and Kayla's list of best friends. I've known people who, even with best friends, can't make either of those claims.
This is a list that I'm sure can be expanded and updated. Until then, I'd say I'm off to a pretty good start.
First of all, I'm one of the only people I know that's more or less a fully trained ukulele player. Granted, this particular talent hasn't served me at all beyond a pleasant musical diversion, but hey! I can play uke, and most people can't. It's lightweight and portable, and it's a happy little instrument. It's kind of like the banjo: there are no depressing ways to play it.
I have regularly replenished supplies of some of the best green tea in China. I get them as gifts from a very close friend of mine from China. Granted, our friendship means more than enough to me where I could do fine without the tea as long as Qing is still around, but still, real Chinese tea is a rare privilege. It's damn good stuff. It tastes great, it's soothing, and there's something almost euphoric about drinking it. You feel surprisingly good afterwards, and if you have a cold or some sort of ailment, it doesn't bother you as much for a while. This is definitely not something Lipton can boast.
My dorkiest side has been fully indulged. I have a digital projector mounted on my ceiling and a screen hung over my closet. I've watched a lot of movies in full super-sized glory, and they look awesome up on the screen. I even played a video game on the big screen all the way through. When most people watch movies, they probably have to make do with their puny little TV sets or their even punier iPods. Not me. I've got out the heavy duty stuff. Oh yeah. I'm cool....well, the projector is anyway.
I once gave a class teaching presentation (while in Fredonia) that was so good, the teacher asked if she could use it to teach future students. I had people walk up to me on campus to praise me for the job I did up in front of the class, and half a year later, after I finished a full semester at UB, I visited Fredonia very briefly, and someone recognized and remembered me fully because of my presentation. All this for a class presentation. How often does that happen!?
I'm my own best friend's best friend, and I rank very highly on both Qing and Kayla's list of best friends. I've known people who, even with best friends, can't make either of those claims.
This is a list that I'm sure can be expanded and updated. Until then, I'd say I'm off to a pretty good start.