As Wikipedia reminds us, old King Cole was a merry old soul:
Old King Cole was a merry old soul,
And a merry old soul was he;
He called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl,
And he called for his fiddlers three.
Every fiddler he had a fiddle,
And a very fine fiddle had he;
Oh, there’s none so rare, as can compare,
With King Cole and his fiddlers three.
Since I’ve quit booze, and gave up smoking many years ago, the bowl and pipe aren’t that appealing; and nor are the scraping ‘fiddlers three’ to be honest.
But being ‘a merry old soul’ is a good goal. As my favourite French essayist Michel de Montaigne prompted me via the Waking Up App:
It’s a good reminder that whatever the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune – and the vicissitudes of the passing years and getting older – with a cheerful elan, is the only smart way to meet life.
I’m investing in cheerfulness.
Achilles & Aristotle 