lists of 5: 5 things that add to my quality of life

I confess to initiating what became a rather long thread on the HI People group on Facebook recently regarding the availability or otherwise of croissants from our village Tesco Express and the relative merits of croissants from different sources.

It got me thinking about why croissants figure so prominently in my thinking that I did this. I decided it was because they are a part of a ritual which I value and which contributes to the quality of my life. So here goes: 5 things that add to the quality of my life.

1. fresh croissants, good coffee and the Guardian to start the day. It’s developed of course from my desire to manage the start of my day and to minimise the stress associated with it when I’m travelling. However that’s glass half empty thinking and now I’m more of a glass half full person so that I’m not just looking to eliminate stress but to relax and feed both the body and the mind. Croissants, coffee and the Guardian do just that. And if I’m at home there’s a little Radio 4 on the side of course.

2. mind stretching and lightly organised travel. I’m fortunate in that my business has taken me round the world and I’ve complemented this recently with guided tours. I take the latter now because they do the organising and set the itinerary so that I can focus on the important decisions like ‘where to have dinner’. However wherever I am going it’s got to be ‘interesting’. I like spare time but can’t really handle 24/7 relaxation and a guided tour or a business trip ensures that this doesn’t happen.

3. injury free exercise. I’ve blogged before about running and I frequently get frustrated by injury. Usually it’s a calf muscle problem and then I run again before it’s sufficiently healed but I do enjoy running and whereas I used to think in terms of a quick 20 minutes now I’m more of a 45 minute guy.

All is not lost if I can’t run. I have a gym membership and visit a couple of times a week. I find exercising in the gym a social activity and I get inspiration from the others present especially the leaner and fitter ones (but not those with tattoos who pump iron). I also cycle, in the summer, both around town on ‘business’ and further afield on my road bike. If you know Cambridge you’ll be familiar withe the Guided Bus and the excellent cycle path along side it which gives me a nice 30 minute sprint to St Ives.

4. good food and something to drink with it. You might think that number 1 above is a sub-set of this but that’s a specific event and a ritual. This is more general and is only possible because I eat exceptionally well at home and am fortunate enough to have enough income to be able to eat out. I enjoy my food, number 2 above adds opportunities to complement a reasonably good offering in the UK, and probably drink too much half-way decent wine although I am a believer in its contribution to my good health. Beer plays a minor role and I’m sorry but English beer gives me headaches even in small quantities.

5. free time and lots of choice for how to fill it. This goes without saying but the second part is critical. I’m of an age now whereby I get a monthly cheque from the nice Mr Osborne and I’m told that many people don’t enjoy this stage in their lives because they don’t know what to do. I’m fortunate in that I still have lots to do, both paid and voluntary work, and I really appreciate the free time to engage in numbers 1 to 4 above, to read a bit, to watch the TV and to generally ‘hang out’.

Life’s not bad.