I remember back when Pete’s dad was alive. His academic area of expertise was the good life. It was also his personal area of expertise. I did not realize it until after Mike was gone that, in this respect, he was absolutely brilliant.

He could theorize and put theory to practice. In the class, he shaped student values by asking those impressionable young minds how their future plans fit in with this concept. And he lived well, eating good foods and reading good books. He also drank the best wines.

So is his son, Pete, living the good life? I would say yes, for the most part. He wanted and got a job where he got summers off. He teaches. He didn’t work as hard as some, but like his dad, he shapes student values. He actually is still teaching. He got tenure and so now no one messes with him.

Bay of Fundy Kayak Saffari

On the home front, he cooks, cleans, and tends to a garden, the latter so that he has good food. I don’t think his father had a garden – he purchased good foods.

He’d say that his life would be better if he had more time to sea kayak and bicycle. The book project has definitely put a crimp in his style; although, he would agree that he’s making the world a better place and this is or should be a part of the good life.

Yesterday he went over the fund development plan with me, our consultant, and another board member. We looked over at him in wonderment. He was wearing a colorful Bright Lights Book Project hat and had trimmed his beard. Most importantly, the document he produced was near flawless, and our consultant had little to say about it. This was impressive. He most likely thinks that, yes, it was an enjoyable task, producing this.

And me? Yes, I am living the good life, although my balance is off. Right now all the animals are healthy; although, Ryder is in the twilight of her years. She now is not going with us for all trail rides.

I live in a nice spot – it’s not very noisy and riding trails are nearby. And the residential road that goes by our place is relatively quiet.

I have a nifty job, but it cannot be called a job. It’s a volunteer position. I suspect that if I did get paid, the expectations and demands might change, so this is a tradeoff. No one tells me what to do.

And I like what I do – few get to go through and decide the fate of thousands of books a year. And few get to bring them home and read them. And few get to share the stories they contain with others.

So yeah, I am living the good life. What might I change? Get paid for what I do and have others working on this project who see the good and are willing to work hard.

Enough said.

Next: 188. 712/26: My Turn