I am, first and foremost, a hedonist. That just means that I want to do what brings me the most pleasure - both physically and mentally - without causing myself pain. Hedonism gets a bad rap in the modern world because most people think it's all about bodily pleasures without regard to someone's else's feelings.
The truth is that Hedonism is all about moderation. You can enjoy the "chocolate icing", like Hedonism Bot does, a few times but after awhile it no longer has the same effect.
The ancient Greek thinker Epicurus gave rise to the Hedonism that I follow. He believed, to quote the Wikipedia entry about him,.that:
"For Epicurus, the purpose of philosophy was to help people attain a happy, tranquil life characterized by ataraxia (peace and freedom from fear) and aponia (the absence of pain). He advocated that people were best able to pursue philosophy by living a self-sufficient life surrounded by friends. He taught that the root of all human neurosis is death denial and the tendency for human beings to assume that death will be horrific and painful, which he claimed causes unnecessary anxiety, selfish self-protective behaviors, and hypocrisy. According to Epicurus, death is the end of both the body and the soul and therefore should not be feared. Epicurus taught that although the gods (may) exist, they have no involvement in human affairs. He taught that people should behave ethically not because the gods punish or reward people for their actions, but because amoral behavior will burden them with guilt and prevent them from attaining ataraxia."
It is a great shame that he's been associated with drunken and sexual pleasures because he taught that a person could only be happy if he lived wisely, soberly and morally (which for him meant being aware of the consequences of one's actions).
So for me, being pushed out of my comfort zone creates anxiety. For someone that fellows the traditional hedonist lifestyle, how was I pushed out of my comfort zone?
I was forced to make dinner yesterday. I had to put up a mailbox and somehow I managed to get a dishwasher to work properly and correctly. All of which created anxiety.
The mailbox may sound easy enough, you dig a hole and insert a post. You attach said mailbox to the post and call it a day. However what I quickly learned was that none of our nearby family and friends had a post hole digger. Which, honestly, surprised me. Not even my neighbor.
The shovel that I was using would be useful to some degree, but isn't really meant for a straight, deep hole in the ground. A few quick phone calls later and I discover that I can rent one for $70 or buy one for $30 dollars. I am now the proud owner of a post hole digger, after having to take a 30 minute drive there and back.
So I'm digging into the ground and am a good two feet down when I hit a large rock that simply will not move. I even try digging the rock out by hand...nope. So long story short, to make the post fit in the hole I end up cutting eight inches off the post.
After that I add the post and brace it with bricks and cement it in. Assembling the rest of the box and attaching it to the post is easy.
I'm feeling good about myself and this little project, even laughing with the wife that "I'm a real country boy now, I've callous on my hands."
The job took longer than it should of, and I'm happy to say that as of the time of this writing the box is still standing straight and tall.
What caused me the most anxiety last night was that Susan made me cook dinner!!!
I have cooked before, but frankly I try to keep it simple. I'll make pasta, or cook a hamburger. However I generally don't like to cook because I've had some really amazing woman cook for me in the past 30 years or so. Plus there was a time when I tried to deglaze a pan and caused a small kitchen fire.
Susan knows that I've been wanting to try an ancient 2000 year old Chicken Recipe ever since seeing this video; while we did have all of the ingredients for it, I frankly was intimated by the math. When a recipe uses a 3 - 4 pound chicken...and calls for 1 1/3 tablespoons of something...what do you need when you only have two chicken breasts?
Metric units are easier in this case.
Anyhow, Susan was refusing to give me any help...she knows I want to learn to cook (Okay...so I'm a bit of a "traditional" hedonist in that I want to try dishes that Susan would not otherwise make). Somehow I managed to put together a nice Italian spiced Chicken breast on the plate with pine nut and herb (pre-packed) ravioli and a spinach salad. I thought the chicken was a bit dry but the kitchen was in one piece and no one died. Susan enjoyed my efforts.
Success!
When we moved into this house, we knew certain things would have to be done. Replacing the roof being the number 1 priority. The wood stove came as a bit of surprise for us, but we had no choice in the matter. That however meant that things that we wanted to get done sooner would have to be put off. The kitchen being one of those.
The kitchen is small and really hasn't been updated since the 1970's. The stove and fridge are newer, but the dishwasher is not. In fact, we were told it didn't work. Which, considering it's just Sue and I, we accepted. We've done dishes by hand before. However what I discover was that the latch was bad on the dishwasher.
A few minutes of swearing and a bruised knuckle later, the dishwater was running. I waited for it to leak, either in the kitchen or down the back walls of the basement. I wondered if it was leaking into the insulation that the previous owner had placed into the basement ceiling. I could see no leaks, no wetness. No damp smells.
Could I have been this lucky? Because I'm not use to having success with anything mechanical.
The whole point of these three little stories however is to make a point. I have to get out of my comfort zone. I have to do things that I'm not used to doing. I simply can't expect things to be done or be convenient for me anymore.
I have to challenge myself to live out in the country. That means getting out of my comfort zone.
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