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This is how I'd like to stay on a Monday morning - comfortable in my bed, catching a couple more hours of sleep after the sun has come up. But this will not be the case, as I will have to wake up and get dressed as Mario, and then move furniture around while the electricians finish up their work in this apartment.
The first go-round with the electricians wasn't as bad as I thought. Yes, I moved a lot of furniture and sweated because they didn't turn on the AC when they could have. But, it was over in less than two hours. And I see a way, that with a small amount of effort on my part, that they could be out of my place in less than an hour. That will leave me the time to meet with TCL for a long delayed lunch, and maybe have time in the evening to do something else.
There has been a benefit to all of this work. I've been forced to clean up my place enough to get access to all of my electrical outlets. Next, I will need to get things clean enough to have visitors (other than girlfriends) come to this apartment for the first time in years.
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Now that I can see this apartment's progress towards being a welcoming place to have guests, it is time for me to look at buying a new sofa. I have the sofa picked out, and I'm waiting for the expected Labor Day sale. After trying out this sofa on 3 visits to the furniture store, I will be in Mario mode when I eventually purchase it.
Once I've purchased the sofa, I'm looking at buying a new coffee table. Gradually, I want to make my living room a place where I can be proud to have my friends visit if invited. Yet, there's a part of me that would rather get together outside of the house, as I'm so used to NOT having people over here.
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After 40 years in one place, one accumulates a lot of unused stuff. The Swedes have a word for what I'm doing: Döstädning, which means "death cleaning." It is not a morbid concept. Instead, it is a way of justifying the removal of clutter from a person's abode, so that the person can live a more happy life. I also like the Danish concept of Hygge, Pronounced "hoo-ga," this Danish concept cannot be translated to one single word but encompasses a feeling of cozy contentment and well-being through enjoying the simple things in life. Recently, I have learned that the Swedes have a word for something I've striven for. Lagom is a Swedish word that roughly translates to "just the right amount" in English. Pronounced 'lar-gohm,' this term is more about frugality and striking a balance in your daily life between work and relaxation.
Throughout my 40-year career in technology, I found that I was living a life out of balance, a life that was not cozy, and a life that isolated me from others. Now that I'm retired, I've found that I want something more out of the rest of my life - a connection to others, a feeling of comfort when at home, and being comfortable in my own skin. In short, I want just the right amount of the things I enjoy in life, so that the rest of my life will be more enjoyable than the years before.
I tell people that it's not who has the most things when s/he dies wins. Instead, it is who has the most rewarding experiences when s/he dies wins. One can't take things into the afterlife (unless one is an Egyptian Pharaoh.) But one can enjoy life to the fullest. And if there is something afterward, those experiences will be what makes us rich.
