I learned it early, and perhaps I did not have to go out of my way to earn obscene amounts of wealth to learn it, that the greatest thing we will ever do is sit with a few people we adore or tolerate and break bread together as we talk about all things under a moon that shines brightly enough for several people to get out of their seats and take a picture. And that the most glaring mistake anyone can make, regardless of where or when it happens, is to refuse a cry for help. I know that when the latter haunts you on days you cannot do much but the dishes, it is the former and the never-ending montage of warmth that lifts you out of the fixed gaze at nothing in particular as the laminar flow of water runs over your fingers, foaming about the dish soap as you worry about things you could have done differently, and filling the sink in tandem with the despair filling in your heart.
I learned it early, and perhaps I did not need to regret every single choice I have ever made in my life to learn it, that sometimes the poorest thing you can do is to have money, that time is true wealth, and that I would always live and want a life where I have the comfort of wasting an hour, and if I cannot, if I simply cannot do it, then I will change my life till I can. To be able to waste time on our own terms is the true essence of life, and when I say waste, all I mean is to not use it as directed. To sit and write a few words, as I have done for years now, is a terrible waste of time, but it may also be the most glorious thing I do each day, and to sit, sip coffee and watch the sun is probably foolish and it is also wonderful and worth experiencing each time you get a chance to do it. And, of course, I could list all of these, the many ways to waste an hour in some sort of compendium, but I trust you to know them already. Most people, in my experience, are great at finding intriguing use of their time, especially when it comes to delinquency.
I learned it early, and perhaps I did it quicker than most, that most life is easy pickings, and most happiness is the low-hanging fruit, and if I were to be brief: On most days, happiness is a bench on the sidewalk.