You Have 374 Unread Messages...
I have to admit that it was really nice to get away, even if just for a few days!
I also have to admit that I cast only a cursory glace at my email — from whence the title of this post came — yesterday afternoon and today because I felt no particular sense of urgency to get back into the grind of things.
It does make me wonder how we arrived at this state of being where it seems like we consider "hard work as being next to godliness."
Or something along those lines.
If you consider history, the majority humans tended to work about as much and as long as was necessary to feed/house families, villages, tribes or whatever.
Which seems perfectly reasonable.
Of course, in those times most people weren't encumbered by notions that they "had to have" 5,000 square foot McMansions in order to feel like they were "doing life appropriately."
The little cabin in which we stayed had precisely the following: A place to cook and eat, a place to sleep, a place to sit and read/do, and a place to poop and keep yourself washed.
These are pretty much the basics of life.
With time on my hands to sit and think, I found myself considering the way that I used to think that would be enough — back when I was at University — and was promptly described as "lazy and lacking ambition" because I wasn't having fever dreams about ruling the world and having a mansion on a hilltop.
It also makes me wonder how much effort, blood, sweat and tears we pour into something that might be characterized as a form of psychological virtue signaling: do we actually seek these things because they represent something we genuinely want or do we primarily pursue them because of the "message" they telegraph to the world about how we see ourselves... and how we want others to see us?
The more years roll on by, the more I come to realize that I am quite content with less of most things.
Including less time reading (likely) useless email!
Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful rest of your week!
Comments, feedback and other engagement is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation! I do my best to answer comments, even if it sometimes takes a few days!
Greetings bloggers and social content creators! This article was created via PeakD, a blogging application that's part of the Hive Social Content Experience. If you're a blogger, writer, poet, artist, vlogger, musician or other creative content wizard, come join us! Hive is a little "different" because it's not run by a "company;" it operates via the consensus of its users and your content can't be banned, censored, taken down or demonetized. And that COUNTS for something, in these uncertain times! So if you're ready for the next generation of social content where YOU retain ownership and control, come by and learn about Hive and make an account!
As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly and uniquely for this platform — not posted anywhere else.
2026.06.16 01:26 PDT
1575/2839
Perhaps it's because we've watched too many episodes of Looney Tunes and Animaniacs for over thirty years?
😄
Bed, bath, kitchen, a place to entertain a few guests, and laundry. Oh, and a library/craft space. Those are the essentials.