Years ago I heard Susan Elizabeth Phillips give this advice to writers - do your career a favor and stay off your editor's "Life's Too Short" list. As in, Life's too short to put up with this person.
I have tried to conduct my career that way, sometimes seeing people who are a whole walking Life's Too Short List unto themselves get ahead and grab great deals or good PR or spots on panels advising others or whatever. They rarely last, but still, it stings.
But that's not the point. Yes, if I were a better person and a more conscientious writer, that not the point part would be edited out. Guess I'm a bit petty and lazy.
THE POINT is Life IS too short for a lot of things and this weekend, I got out a blank journal and started making a list.
Life is Too Short - to eat garbage.
A revelation came to me when we went to Paul's Fruit market full of locally grown lovely fruit and veggies then on our way home made a stop at Taco Bell and felt blah the rest of the day.
I live in a city (and a country, for that matter) where amazing, wonderful, healthy, interesting and plentiful foods are available year round. Not always cheaply but then if I ate less and ate better, the benefits would outweigh the costs (and I might not outweigh a small Volkswagon!)
Monday made eggplant/zucchini/shallots/mushrooms/roasted tomatoes/garlic and rigatoni.
Yesterday ate BBQ from a guy by the side of the road yesterday (yes, that counts, it was REAL meat (he only made smoked pork butt - oh and lots of jokes about people taking a bite out of his butt etc. I took it from the hands of the guy who cooked it, and it was pretty darn good.
Today - don't know what on my plate but it won't be junk. Life's Too Short.
This no garbage philosophy can apply to writing, of course, and reading. Maybe I should write less and be happier with the quality. Well, good news, I've been doing that, which may also contribute to weight loss because I haven't gotten a contract this year! Trying to look at it all in a new way...
What's on your Life's Too Short to... List?
