Happy-bytes
Write. No amount of self-inflicted misery, altered states, black pullovers or being publicly obnoxious will ever add up to your being a writer. Writers write. On you go.
Al Kennedy
Ten Rules for Writing Fiction – from The Guardian (UK) Feb 2010
People travel faster now,
but I do not know if they go to better things.
Willa Cather
Hi. My name is Laura. It’s been two weeks since my last Quote of the Day.
I’ve come to the conclusion that our society is sick. We have a kind of asthma and are oxygen poor. We don’t allocate time to the things that make us truly happy so we settle for small happy-bytes to get us by. We take tiny measures of pleasure like gasps of air.
Happy-bytes are things like morning coffee, your 2pm choc-attack or drinks after work. Happy-bytes are new shoes on sale at Myer, new
technology or vegging out in front of the tv. We treat ourselves to these things as compensation for a busy lifestyle. We’re completely sold on our need for happy-bytes and now they’re a necessity. We boast about them and say ‘lucky you’ to each other.
“Lucky you! I haven’t had time for a coffee yet this morning.”
“Lucky you! I’m so tired by the end of the week, I’m in no mood for drinks.”
Happy-bytes improve our mood … but once consumed are gone forever. Happy-bytes are a mirage, turning happiness (as a state of being) into something ‘out there’ to be attained instead of something inbuilt and wholly renewable.
Instead of grabbing a happy-byte today, lay the foundation of renewable happiness.
Instead of a Caramello Koala after lunch, tell a loved one how much they mean to you. Instead of a weekend away, finish a project you’ve meant to do for ages. Instead of surfing the net, write something down. Instead of having coffee …
Ok, ok. Some things are sacred.
Muchness 