Priorities

I haven't planted my potatoes yet, or sown many seeds. My to-do list starts with insulation, which I've been failing to do for so long that it's got past the season when it's urgent, and solar panels which I would have been really glad to have these past two sunny weeks. I have relatives visiting in just over a week, yet the house tarting up jobs I'd hoped to do by then remain undone. Why then, have I spent the last two weeks building a terrace that does not put food on the table, lower the fuel bills, or even make the place more pleasant for a family party?

Well, because I wanted to. About half way through, I did feel rather guilty about neglecting all the other, more important, jobs. Then I talked to friends about it and they said, Why shouldn't you do the jobs that you enjoy? I thought about this a while. It's true that growing food and heating the house are more important more basic needs, but appreciating beauty is important too. Having that terrace (provided that it doesn't fall down) is going to add quite a lot to my quality of life. Is that not worth doing?

Feeding the soul is just as important as feeding the belly. Granted, leave the belly empty for too long and the soul will be irrelevant, but leave the soul empty for too long and you might as well forget about the belly, as life will not be worth living.

Working to feed the soul