TakingYourFunEveryDayasYouDoYourWork
奧裡森·馬登/OrisonMarden
Tenthingsarenecessaryforhappinessinthislife,thefirstbeingagooddigestion,andtheothernine—money;soatleastitissaidbyourmodernphilosophers.YettheauthorofspeaksmoretrulyinsayingthattheDivinecreationincludesthousandsofsuperfluousjoyswhicharetotallyunnecessarytothebaresupportoflife.
Healoneisthehappymanwhohaslearnedtoextracthappiness—notfromidealconditions,butfromtheactualonesabouthim.Themanwhohasmasteredthesecretwillnotwaitforidealsurroundings;hewillnotwaituntilnextyear,nextdecade,untilhegetsrich,untilhecantravelabroad,untilhecanaffordtosurroundhimselfwithworksofthegreatmasters;buthewillmakethemostoutoflifetoday,whereheis.
Paradiseishereornowhere,youmusttakeyourjoywithyouoryouwillneverfindit.
Itisafterbusinesshours,notinthem,thatmenbreakdown.Menmust,likePhilipAmour,turnthekeyonbusinesswhentheyleaveit,andatonceunlockthedoorsofsomewholesomerecreation.Dr.LymanBeecherusedtodiverthimselfwithaviolin.Hehadaregularsystemofwhathecalled「unwinding」,thusrelievingthegreatstrainputuponhim.
「Aman,」saysDr.Johnson,「shouldspendpartofhistimewiththelaughers.」
HumorwasLincoln』slife-preserver,asithasbeenofthousandsofothers.「Ifitwerenotforthis,」heusedtosay,「Ishoulddie.」Hisjestsandquaintstorieslightedthegloomofdarkhoursofnationalperil.
「Nexttovirtue,」saidAgnesStrickland,「thefuninthisworldiswhatwecanleastspare.」
「Ihavefunfrommorningtillnight,」saidtheeditorCharlesA.Danatoafriendwhowasgrowingprematurelyold.「Doyoureadnovels,andplaybilliards,andwalkagreatdeal?」
Gladstoneearlyformedahabitoflookingonthebrightsideofthings,andneverlostamoment』ssleepbyworryingaboutpublicbusiness.
Therearemanyout-of-doorsports,andtheverypresenceofnatureistomanyagreatjoy.Howtrueitisthat,ifwearecheerfulandcontented,allnaturesmileswithus—theairseemsmorebalmy,theskymoreclear,theearthhasabrightergreen,thetreeshavearicherfoliage,theflowersaremorefragrant,thebirdssingmoresweetly,andthesun,moon,andstarsallappearmorebeautiful.「Itisagrandthingtolive—toopentheeyesinthemorningandlookoutupontheworld,todrinkinthepureairandenjoythesweetsunshine,tofeelthepulsebound,andthebeingthrillwiththeconsciousnessofstrengthandpowerineverynerve;itisagoodthingsimplytobealive,anditisagoodworldwelivein,inspiteoftheabusewearefondofgivingit.」
Uponeverysideofusaretobefoundwhatonehashappilycalled—unworkedjoymines.
Andhewhogoes「prospecting」toseewhathecandailydiscoverisawiseman,traininghiseyetoseebeautyineverythingandeverywhere.