Being an Accomplished Idler is a state of mind and a way of life. Becoming an AI is actually pretty simple. It requires two basic steps to get started.
Step 1 - Find activities that you enjoy - love! - so much you would do them for free and then get somebody to pay you to do them.
Step 2 - Be happy with what you do and with what you have. If you have accomplished Step 1 then the first part of Step 2 has been taken care of. See how easy it is?
Look, I always figured that life is too short to spend it doing things I really don't want to do. Of course there are times when a guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do, but keeping those to a minimum has always been a priority. Working your butt off at some stupid job you detest because you are infested with some weird Puritan work ethic is, frankly, sheer laziness. And it shows a distinct lack of creativity. The Accomplished Idler is never lazy. And he is always creative. Making the most of the opportunities the gods present you is really what life is all about, isn't it? Some of the opportunities presented may seem like misfortunes, but, viewed the right way they are indeed opportunities. It's all in how you look at them. That's what the second part of Step 2 - being happy with what you have - is really all about.
Here's an example of a misfortune turned into an opportunity by viewing it as such. I am a Disabled Veteran. I was pretty severely injured while in the military and over the years I have developed further complications related to the original injury. I was 'awarded' a small pension due to my disability. I also get free medical care from the Veterans Administration. And not just care related to my service-connected injury, but all of my medical care. Okay, so I had it coming to me - injured in the service of my country in time of war and all that - but that pension and medical care has allowed me to be able to spend more time on the things that really count (playing guitar, fly fishing, writing blogs) instead of having to spend time earning money for medical insurance, paying the mortgage, paying the power bill etc.
So, in a lot of ways my spinal fracture was a lucky break (pun intended). It's all in how you look at it. Hell, if I had broken my back while working some half-assed job I would probably still be fighting for Social Security Disability or Workman's Compensation. Or living on the street in a box.
Hopefully this blog will be an opportunity to turn something I love - writing - into a way of further supporting my AI lifestyle. We shall see.
I'll have a lot to say in the future. I hope you come back for more. I welcome comments, ideas and opinions. Shall we begin?
