Entertainment before bed

I am a huge fan of laughing many times before you go to sleep. I think it improves your night, your next morning, and your attitude in general.

Have you noticed how some people barely ever crack a smile? I was in an interview last year, and the interviewer, who would have been my manager, was the most somber person I’ve ever seen. I felt like each time I met with him, something terrible must have happened beforehand. So, I whipped out some of my job wisdom and decided not to take the job when it was offered, partly because there was no happiness, and partly because they undercut the salary.

Do you know why all the dramatic shows are on in the middle of the day, all those soap operas? And as the day goes on, the lighter, happier shows start to propagate? There is a strategy to it. The soap operas are like work, where you must constantly follow what’s going on, and stay locked into the action. Then the sitcoms hit, and kids watch them, adults watch them, and hopefully the networks make some money. That’s the difference. The happiness breeds success. Somber themes and excessive work generally drive people away.

I have an old friend who is a mortician. This is a guy I knew when I spent lots of time in the collectible card market. I liked him, but he always had this strange twist to him. Kinda quiet, but he really was a nice guy. So years later when I hung around him a little, I guess I was not surprised at his choice of profession. I have never asked too much about it, but my conclusion is that he just went out and got into the kind of work that truly interested him. No one does that kind of work otherwise. What’s the lesson? Don’t bother spending your life in painful activities. We need lots of interesting work, relationships, and hobbies. Without them we’re just spinning around the drain.

I really don’t know why I do what I do. Obviously I’m driven by God to some degree, but at the same time I have always had a technology passion. But my experience has shown me that I would not do well as a true blue developer. So now I’m getting into web design and maintenance kind of stuff. I really think it will be good for me. Why? It blends together lots of passions, and doing anything else every day does not make much sense.

Spend your time in happy activities. Life can become quite morose otherwise.