That's What Living Is to Me

For the inscription of his 1897 work, Following the Equator, Mark Twain wrote:

Be good and you will be lonesome.

I know that not because of my vast knowledge of American literature but because I grew up somewhat of a Parrothead (fan of the music of Jimmy Buffett). In 1988 Buffet used the line in the chorus on the song, That’s What Living Is to Me (found on the album Hot Water):

Be good and you will be lonesome

Be lonesome and you will be free

Live a lie and you will live to regret it

That's what living is to me

Twain’s perspective on life is found throughout his writings. Among my favorites are:

Be virtuous and you will be eccentric.

Do right and you will be conspicuous.

Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.

This week as we continue our generosity series we’ll be looking at life and this Monday morning I’m thinking about what living is to me (and I can’t get the Buffet song out of my head).

So here’s the question: What’s living to you?