These are not the finest things

When I was young(er), I remembering thinking about how nice it would be to share coffee, early in the morning, with my wife, whoever she’d be.

When I thought of the good life, I thought of little things like that.

Basically… I thought of a Pottery Barn commercial.

Today, in real life, my wife doesn’t even like the smell of coffee.

And, for her, mornings are a result of the fall.

So when I get up, early in the morning, before the kids, and drink my coffee or tea, it’s just me. Alone.

But that’s okay.

Because what I learned is that Pottery Barn commercials are completely ridiculous.

There are things that make for a good life, but it’s never stuff like that.

Here’s how I learned to tell the difference: I compare my life with it to my life without it. When I feel the same in both cases, I know it’s not something that matters.

When something has to go, it’s really good to know which to pick.