Ring the bell

Do we all have a utility scale somewhere in our guts? The spine seems like a likely candidate, each vertebrae representing a step up in our happiness scale. Every transaction, every decision, nudging toward the brainstem or the asscrack.

Who knows. For me, there are three things that could nudge me up a step on that scale. Being in love, being a father, and making art. There lots of things that I already have that have boosted me to where I am today. I'd like to keep those...friends, family, my education, my experiences. But consumption...consumption can't move you up the spine. It's the hammer at the fair...pound it on the ground, bounce the metal piece up, hit the bell, slide back down the pole. I say this without moral judgment. It's just a fact...pleasure and happiness just aren't the same. Although, (knock on friggin wood), pain sure as shit could lead to unhappiness.