Life Is A Big Lift.

More thoughts on endings, feeling good about checking off a show ("The Bear," S1), even better about starting others and the long hot summer of laziness or, as I like to call it, "pacing yourself."

Without forethought, minus inspiration or planning, I did a thing over the course of two nights. I started the first season of “The Bear” (FX via Hulu) on Sunday, watched 6 of the 8 episodes, then watched the final two on Monday night.

When I finished, I took a moment to relish in the accomplishment. No, seriously, I did. Finishing a book or a painting or a garage you built yourself — congratulating yourself is essential. Life is a big lift. You’ve got to stack up the small victories and celebrate them. For me, finishing a season — even if I’m way late and there’s still another in front of me — is an accomplishment I like to note.

So, noted.

I also, as previously mentioned, finished “Silo,” “Liaison,” (both Apple TV+) “Alice In Borderland” S1 (Netflix), “Norsemen” S1, (Netflix), “The Last Thing He Told Me” (Apple TV+) and “The Diplomat” (Netflix). While doing all of that, I watched a huge chunk of “Kleo” S1 (Netflix), “Drops of God,” (Apple TV+) and then started S2 of “Alice In Borderland” and stopped and started several movies, plus watched a string of trailers — a thing I always tell you not to do.

You mix in life to all the unfinished shows and there’s no great percentage of finished material. More unseen than seen, as it were. Hell, I wrote a whole thing recently about the value, and if there is any, of finishing a show:

You can tell just from the tease there that as recently as a couple of weeks ago I wasn’t all in on the importance of finishing something. Like, maybe it was all overrated. But sometimes you look at a mountain and think it’s not important that you get to the top, it’s that you take the hike. Until you get to the top and all of a sudden you can’t shut up about GETTING TO THE TOP.

Like everybody else in the world, recently I’ve dealt with other things in my life like paying bills, worrying about the future, spending time with family and friends, reading, going to appointments, shopping for food, cooking that food on the grill, napping, housecleaning, walking the dog, etc. I mean, that list right there could be very, very long if I really enumerated it. Those things are what makes up a life. Yours is super long, too. I know it.

I joined Threads on the first day. I bought some stuff at Heath ceramics that I probably can’t afford. I took my beloved old dog to the vet and learned that his longtime eye condition had worsened and he’s basically blind in his right eye. I played with him a lot — he doesn’t seem to mind about his condition, because he’s a dog and he approaches life with happiness and a Zen attitude I have yet to master — and I gave him lots of treats and pulled stickers and things out of his fur.

I went to the oral surgeon — victory! on that check-up. (I fully endorse Waterpik, people, even though they are not paying me a penny). I tried to find windshield wiper blades for two cars (yes, in the summer). I’m going to the dermatologist to probably burn shit off various parts of my body per usual. Wellness maintenance. I’m bringing a car into the shop and walking home. I need to refill some meds. I need to exercise. I should be writing so much more than I am.

You can see the thread that runs through here, some if it dramatic and some of it just daily life. It’s a miracle we get anything done, really. When we shut the light off at the end of a long day, it’s a tiny achievement. That’s what I’m talking about.