“Enjoying Life” – But What Are We Really Talking About?
I’m writing this from a hospital bed. I had my appendix removed today. The surgery went well, and I’m recovering, but being here naturally brings a certain stillness. A chance to reflect. To observe. To listen.
Today, I overheard conversations between fellow patients. Some are here with heart issues, others with infections or complications – often the result of long-term strain on the body. What struck me was how often the phrase “I just enjoy life” came up.
About 2 hours after the operation: a rusk and my daughter visiting.
In response to questions like:
“Why do you still smoke?”
“How did you gain 20 kilos in just a few weeks?”
“Fifteen cans of soda a day? Are you serious?”
The same sentence, again and again: “I enjoy life.”
It made me pause. Not because I’m here to judge – far from it. But because it made me wonder: what do we really mean when we say we enjoy life?
If “enjoying” means consistently harming yourself – physically, emotionally, mentally – is that really enjoyment? Or is it escape? Soothing something unspoken? Seeking comfort in the quickest way possible?
Fifteen cans a day to ‘enjoy life’ — but at what cost?
To me, enjoyment means something else. Sure, I love good food, a glass of wine now and then, laughing with friends. But true enjoyment… feels quieter. A run in nature. A deep conversation. The sense of clarity after a yoga practice. Breathing with awareness. Living with rhythm, care, and kindness.
Enjoyment, to me, is linked to presence. To conscious choice. To something that nourishes, not just fills.
That doesn’t mean it has to be clean, perfect, or virtuous. But I do believe that real enjoyment cannot be separated from respect – for your body, your heart, your life.
Lying here today reminds me how easily we use words to justify patterns. “I enjoy life” can become a shield. Against pain. Against helplessness. Against change.
Maybe it’s time to open up that conversation – not to judge, but to explore.
What does enjoying life mean to you?
As a yoga teacher, I often return to this question. Not just on the mat, but in how we live, breathe, and relate to ourselves and each other. Yoga, for me, is one of the clearest invitations to be fully here – to feel, to listen, to honour what’s real. And maybe that’s where true enjoyment begins.
By Maurice