The OC--Sweet Spot of the World

This weekend Amy and James stopped by for a later dinner after a day riding the roller-coasters at Magic Mountain. Sprawling on a giant bean bag, James glanced over at our open garage door. A native of Michigan, James remarked how nice it was to have the house open and not have to worry about mosquitos. Fact: We are relatively bug-less here in Orange County, the OC. Other benefits are easy to cite, weather being obvious. Winter mornings might require a light jacket, but Polo shirts work great on most January afternoons. Though we northern Californians are chagrined to say it, there are reasons why the nation's population gravitates toward the lower left corner. But in generalizing this way, am I merely rationalizing my own choices or chance path? The human psyche is prone to weave coherence into personal facts, making them sensible and happy stories. Do the citizens of Boston or Beijing or Tel Aviv similarly wake to a certainty, or strong suspicion, that their life conditions are the best of all possible--that they have found a local maximum? To find oneself at the center of an ideal world, an earthly sweet spot, is quite a treat--even if it requires a modicum of self-deception.