No coffee review today; nothing new to report that I haven’t already reviewed.   I bought a bag of Papua New Guinea Blonde Roast from Starbucks, but haven’t really broken into it.   If it’s still in the cupboard next week I’ll let you know what I think.

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Tomorrow I start work again.  I’ve been more or less off work for over six weeks now.   Some of that has been pure downtime, and much of it has been busy executing the move from CA to HI.   This past week I took a down week to help get things settled at home, and enjoy some free days at home.   My relax-o-meter is about maxed out.    It’s been good, but I’m ready to go back to work, and get back into some semblance of a routine.

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Allie asked me today what I’d give up first:  skiing, music, or beer.   First of all, the answer’s easy.   Beer would go first.  I like beer..what’s not to like about it.  It tastes good and it’s easy to come by.   But it’s not an experience.  I would give it up in a heartbeat if pressed.  Plus, there’s always wine and scotch.

A tougher (and perhaps more appropriate) third choice would have been running.  So the choice is between skiing, music, and running.   That one’s a little tougher, but as I am in my late thirties (which means forty is on the horizon), the consideration largely comes down to longevity.   I would give them up in this order:  skiing, running, then music.  That doesn’t necessarily reflect the priority I currently give them, but rather the potential enjoyment that I think I may get out of each for the rest of my life.

If we’re talking just straight up sensory enjoyment, pound for pound, skiing takes the cake….but it would still be the first to go.   Mostly because I do it the most infrequently.     All else being equal, I think I’d take a week of world class backcountry skiing over similar caliber running or music.  But…. those conditions are hard to come by.  They are seasonal,  weather dependent, and accessible only in certain regions of the globe.   Often I have to fly long distances to get to the goods.  Additionally, a full day on skis (especially if you are climbing for your turns) may only involve an hour or so of actual downhill.   I now savor the entire experience – the ups and the down – but the day usually centers around a few memorable downhill runs when conditions are good.   There’s a reason folks devote their lives to searching for deep powder…much like surfers will travel the glove in search of the perfect wave.

Running is #2.  While less intense by the minute compared to the perfect downhill ski run… you can go out for hours on end and on good days you are fully immersed the entire time.  And that’s not even including races, when the focus, experience, and intensity is magnified several-fold.     That extended in-the-moment-ness is something that is hard to come by in other aspects of our lives.  I hope to be able to run for a long time, but my body is already giving me yellow flags.

Music would be the last to go.   It’s not really because it’s ahead of running and skiing on any kind of enjoyment scale, but rather I place it in a different category.   Unless I lose my hands and/or arms in a freak nutri-bullet accident, I’ll probably be playing music for longer than I will ski or run.   I enjoy music, but particularly I like the social aspect of it.  I play Irish traditional, and I’m always seeking out that good session dynamic.  It’s a bit hard to find, but when you find it, it’s completely engrossing, much like skiing.   Most importantly,  it’s easy on the body (if you discount effect of the Guinness and scotch that often accompany it).

Bottom line, if I can still do all three forty years from now that’s a really good thing.  If I were to bet, however, which one would outlast the others, it would probably be music.  Also, right now it’s kind of a side hobby, but in my next career (whatever that is) I hope to give it a little more attention.

Kind of an off-the-cuff topic, but one worth putting on paper.  Obviously there are things that I would put above all three of those:   Physical health, mental health, family & friends, ribeyes, living in a free society…just to name a few.   But as an interesting thought experiment, it’s good to take inventory of your passions, and see how they stack up.   Most folks have work, and most folks have family (whether a nuclear family or extended family, or just a community of friends).    So control for those two, and see what falls out next.