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Eat drink and be merry ... for tomorrow you can diet!
Why...
Is every avenue of pleasure depicted as a path to Armageddon? This time of the year I must admit I cram too much food and drink into my stomach, but does this really mean the grim reaper will be sharpening his scythe? Christmas overindulgence needs to be balanced with a feeling of wellbeing, a grudging love of fellow man and slipping a few extra £,$,€ into the collection box. But happiness is not a terminal disease. Nevertheless, TV presenters wearing Elf ears or Santa hats, give out dire warnings of all the drawbacks to the holiday season. Frankly if I live a couple of years longer without ever having eaten a chocolate eclair or enjoyed (in my bachelor days) a memorable Christmas Eve in Manila in the warm embrace of a pair of Air Stewardesses and some wakky baccy, I think I would have missed out. As Hunter S. Thompson said, “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”
...and another thing
I am endlessly bombarded with facts telling me that the current western diet and relatively sedentary lifestyle is not what humans were designed for. The hunter gatherer of Stone Age man is what we should aspire to. If that is the case explain to me why Mr. & Mrs. Ugg had the life expectancy of a fruit fly whilst my terrible habits should allow me to easily reach my three score years and ten (with all my teeth)?
...and another thing
The truth is fun, silliness and feeling good are the best antidote to the silent killer of stress. Maybe because you cannot bottle these things or gulp them down as a daily pill, we simply over emphasise the downside of things we enjoy without appreciating the up! Ok so a nut cutlet might not clog my arteries like a filet steak, or a ten-mile run is better than five minutes water skiing but I know which will pop the mercury on the contentment thermometer.
Shakespeare is worthy indeed, but I would rather watch Blazing Saddles over Love’s Labour Lost or Goldfinger in place of Henry V.
“Oh no”, you all cry, “Pity the boy. He is a cultural wasteland.” Maybe but I ain’t checking my watch or counting acts till I can go have a drink in the interval.
So, dear reader, as you start the countdown to a week of festivities, buy an extra supply of Maalox, Tylenol, or Trojans, and see if after a huge Christmas lunch, you can recite every line of It’s A Wonderful Life… because it is if you enjoy it.
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Preach Rev. Grenside!
Hallelujah and an Amen??
Merry Christmas!
A splendid and timely blog. Thank you and my charming wife and I wish you and your lovely lady wonderful Christmas and a very happy and prosperous New Year.