I prefer the municipal swimming pool for our family while my wife would like us to join a country club. At the pool today, I was reminded why I tend to favor municipal swimming pools over country clubs, the city over the suburbs, and public schools over private schools.

I like the variety. I like seeing and experiencing different people – the different races, the different “affluences,” the different sizes and the different styles.

It’s not that I dislike the “country clubs,” the “suburbs” and the “private schools.” They are usually very nice. They are like candy. Very pleasing to the senses. But after I have too much of them, I find myself seeking different flavors. I like the variety of flavors in life – many of which when alone may seem “bitter.”

I prefer to experience both the “bitter” and the “sweet.” I feel like I can make a lot more ” life dishes” that way.

Timothy Velner is a husband, father, attorney and author living in Minneapolis. You can follow his daily blog – a series of discussions between the worry-self and the present-self at – thespiritualgym.me