Survived, Cheap, A Solid 5

I popped another three Advil after work to prepare myself for playing volleyball last night. Even with the ibuprofen flowing through my veins my knees still were not great, I could hardly jump but I was able to move around at least. My team won more than they lost and I served very well. During the one game I served 10 or 11 points in a row. I came out of play not much worse off then I went into it so I will call that a win. A couple days earlier I would have placed my odds of playing at all this week at close to zero.

Last night I quickly opened up my box that contains the $35 pickleball paddle from Temu. My initial impression is it felt/looked like a $35 paddle. I am going to try playing with it today. If it sucks that’s fine, this paddle can be the one I throw in disgust as needed.

This weekend is shaping up to be a busy one. I want to tackle rearranging my office where the desk splits the two work benches instead of having it pushed against the wall. This will even out the layout and give me space to potentially add a third monitor to my setup.

I also have intentions of renting a commercial carpet cleaner to see if I can get my dingy looking carpet refreshed a bit. It’s something I have wanted to do since I moved in honestly. Replacing the flooring in the bedrooms/office with either new carpet or vinyl plank is on my list of improvements I still would like to do on the house but down the road a bit. My hope is a good cleaning of the carpet will buy me some time.

I am going to see the new Venom movie Saturday night with a friend of mine which should be fun. I also have pickleball tomorrow, the Eagles game on Sunday as well as maybe squeezing in a ride somewhere along the way.

Yesterday an old friend of mine I hadn’t communicated with much recently reached out. One of the questions he asked me how my overall happiness level was right now. I responded back that on a scale of 1-10 I would give myself a solid 5. Am I being conservative in that rating? Maybe.

I mean I have a lot going for me. First and foremost I still have my health which really is one of the most important things to try to preserve and maintain as time marches on. Sure I have chronic joint issues but I have learned to live with and work around them. I have a good job that is setting me up for a good retirement in half a decade. I’m stable, responsible and have the ability to do pretty much anything I want to do. All of those things should add up to more than a 5 if I look at it logically.

I read a quote from Hemmingway recently, “Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know” I’m not claiming to be a genius but perhaps the way my mind works, which in many ways has benefited me in my life, is also a roadblock when it comes to feeling a sense of true happiness. It’s far too busy overthinking situations, problems, and relationships to have time to bask in the glow of happiness.