How to Have the Perfect Life
What Do You Need to How to Have the Perfect Life
With ideas of the perfect, or as near perfect as possible, life I have altered slightly the concept of the regular ‘what’s hot and what’s not’ list
Here are some of the things that come straight to my mind, no particular order.
Things I hanker after and other things I could happily live without
What Do I Currently Want
A Paul Gilbert Ibanez guitar
To feel tired at night
Some hot weather
Inspiration
A flood of interesting things to do
A future
To have less energy
What Do I Want to See the Back of
The winter
Routine
Abstinence - what no claret !
Squirrels
Eating alone
Bookselling
Boredom
Not feeling tired
Needless to say, these are particular to me and my situation hence no wishes for world peace etc !
I wrote the above straight off my head and included the things that came straight to mind just before typing this sentence I read them so as to know how to finish the post off.
I struck me that most seem fairly minor and devoid of flights of fancy so that must be quite a good thing, in retrospect.
I was also struck by some things I put but in the spirit of openness and honesty which I’ve adhered to on this site I’ve removed or edited nothing from the list - so not a contrived or considered list.
I’m not sure what they key ingredient is to a truly happy life, well perhaps I’ve an idea but let’s see what others have to say.
Feel free to add anything or comment on anything I’ve said or indeed missed
Apart from good health what are the ingredients for the perfect life ?
I may post my answer to the above later and before you guess, no it’s not money 
the dinosaur said,
March 12, 2008 @ 8:56 am
Rod, from one who knows, there is no escape from bookselling, once its got a hold of your life there’s no escape! If you really need inspiration then take up art, its never too late to start and don’t think if you didn’t have the talent earlier in life you wont find it now, I’ve persuaded two people to take it up late in life recently and given them a new purpose. Express yourself!
Rod said,
March 12, 2008 @ 9:18 am
Dino
I think you’re right about selling books, I can’t help but think it’s a life sentence - possibly retribution for a sin in a previous life
I really wish I had the ability to draw, always have, sadly I’m bloody awful at it !
I take your point about learning but you need some natural talent to be good …
Express yourself!
I’ll be expressing myself shortly - I’m off to give the local council a grand
RC
Witches of Eastwick said,
March 12, 2008 @ 10:25 am
Rod,
We flex our Witchly fingers at the thought of answering this one…. and for what we’re about to say we must have a steaming cup of first class tea to help the words to flow.
As a matter of fact we were just dwelling on this very subject only a few days ago after the untimely death of a relative. Always a time to reflect when something of this nature hits without warning. So then, the recipe for the Perfect Life… layered like a trifle it would have to include:
The ability to enjoy the company of interesting and like-minded people
To admire nature and man-made things on a grand and small scale
A sense of achievement, which might vary from day to day
A sense of belonging
A level of acceptance that not everything in this world can be changed for the better
The ability to laugh on a fairly regular basis
Trust
To realise that perfect is probably unattainable and will differ from person to person then learn to get over the disappointment
The ability to know when to change course
To feel a level of control and to know what makes you and others happy
Last but by no means least, the ability to buy the handbag you’ve been looking at, saving up for and working towards, for months
To feel satisfied … if you don’t then how can your life be anything approaching perfect?
Freedom to feel that all the above is within your grasp
That’s pretty much the foundation, the individual ’sprinkles’ on top are too numerous to mention. We would be interested to know what you mean by ‘a flood of interesting things to do’? No one in the Coven is ever bored…. is that a blessing or is it manufactured… bit of both probably.
WoE
Jordan said,
March 12, 2008 @ 12:04 pm
WoE
Fantastic blog, you are not witches but angels.
If RC is bored, you could always employ him at the Coven?
Jordan
Rod said,
March 12, 2008 @ 12:05 pm
WoE
what a fantastic comment - the best you’ve made I think !
If you can crack that list then I think you’ve cracked life.
Last but by no means least, the ability to buy the handbag
Haven’t gone that far yet !
But I did treat myself to a new pair of chick jean today
Regards
Rod - about to read it again
Rod said,
March 12, 2008 @ 12:13 pm
Jordan
great minds think alike !
We must have both written the same thing at the same time - check out the posting times !
RC
Rod said,
March 12, 2008 @ 12:25 pm
WoE
:
that’s such a good list I thought I’d put myself on the rack with it and respond to each point - public psychoanalysis - why do I do it
The ability to enjoy the company of interesting and like-minded people
For me it’s not the ability but the opportunity
To admire nature and man-made things on a grand and small scale
This I do - I’m OK there
A sense of achievement, which might vary from day to day
I rarely feel and sense of achievement - most things seem too easy to me to feel that
A sense of belonging
Don’t have that - I don’t feel I quite fit in anywhere
A level of acceptance that not everything in this world can be changed for the better
I accepted that a while ago, just because something makes sense doesn’t mean you can get people to do it
The ability to laugh on a fairly regular basis
Do this regularly, often at myself - and sometimes at others
Trust
Difficult one for me - I expect everyone to let me down - I’m usually right, sadly
To realise that perfect is probably unattainable and differs from person to person then get over the disappointment
I could take a lesson here I think
The ability to know when to change course
No problem there - logic dictates all my major decisions
To feel a level of control and to know what makes you and others happy
I control all I can in my little world so that’s OK, nobody else I need to make happy, sadly
To feel satisfied … if you don’t then how can your life be anything approaching perfect?
I am satisfied, I’d be pathetic not to appreciate my position, I’m looking for the last 10%
Freedom to feel that all the above is within your grasp
OK there as well, I always believe I can do or achieve anything. That’s not to say I can or do of course but I believe in myself. I take credit for any success and full responsibility for any failures
This threads getting pretty deep and very good !
Rod
Jordan said,
March 12, 2008 @ 1:17 pm
Ok, lets sit in the Psychologists chair: -
The ability to enjoy the company of interesting and like-minded people:
Rarely
To admire nature and man-made things on a grand and small scale
Always
A sense of achievement, which might vary from day to day
Rarely
A sense of belonging
Sometimes
A level of acceptance that not everything in this world can be changed for the better
Always
The ability to laugh on a fairly regular basis
Sometimes
Trust
Rarely
To realise that perfect is probably unattainable and differs from person to person then get over the disappointment
Sometimes
The ability to know when to change course
Always
To feel a level of control and to know what makes you and others happy
Sometimes
To feel satisfied … if you don’t then how can your life be anything approaching perfect?
Rarely
Freedom to feel that all the above is within your grasp
Rarely
Ok, i shall now throw myself off the nearest bridge
Jordan
Witches of Eastwick said,
March 12, 2008 @ 2:00 pm
Jordan,
Please don’t throw yourself off any bridge… we would miss you. Love and friendship, laughter and imagination, we have those and are grateful… doesn’t mean we’re not sad sometimes or that it would be nice if Kate Hudson might wish for a bum like ours… as a friend once said ‘life is full of small disappointments’
WoE
Witches of Eastwick said,
March 12, 2008 @ 3:04 pm
Rod,
A good response for starters but we were wondering about…….
We do not pretend to know every aspect of your life but it seems you may have marketed yourself as totally self sufficient, whose front door is barred to the outside world….. how would that help in the search for like-minded people?
The lack of a sense of achievement because things seem too easy…. oh please not that old chestnut. Get your mind around the String Theory if you’re struggling with the mundane…. now this is just a wild guess but we bet you’ll be thinking ‘great only I’m not interested in the string theory’
Presumably you must feel a sense of belonging with regard to your home…. something you’ve often said you would be unwilling to move out of. If you are in a rut then by definition doesn’t that mean you do find changing course difficult? Warning with regard to logic…. don’t remember Spock of the Enterprise being full of joy
For today at least our sense of achievement exists because we have outed a lot of clutter and because you and Jordan thought our comment fantastic … thank you both.
That missing 10% you mentioned, here’s to you finding it and all of us celebrating with you. We’re off now to stroke our new handbag…
WoE
Rod said,
March 12, 2008 @ 3:46 pm
Right !
Seeing as this post is full full of fantastic and honest comments I’ll provide the answer that to this line from my original post
I may post my answer to the above later and before you guess, no it’s not money
A: All you need is ♥ Love ♥
Ultimately there is nothing else - you come with nothing and leave with nothing - all you have is what’s in between.
You can have everything in the world but what is the use of it if you have nobody to share it with
You can achieve something or have a great day - but what if you’ve nobody to tell about it.
Having someone who you truly love, and I don’t mean just care about or call it love - I mean that very special something, means you are ‘in it together’ both of you against the world in times of trouble or hardship or sharing the pleasure of the nice times and success.
Simple everyday things can be a great joy when shared - these are things that money cannot buy nor can you assimilate on your own.
So there you go … to quote the most overrated band in the world
All You Need is Love
I must be getting soft in my old age - what’s happening to me ?
Rod