Elemental Things redux

Somewhere in digital black hole there is the failed first version of "Elemental Things."  It's not great lost to the world given the scant content that I posted, but the idea is that I find myself doing elemental things such as reading, running, writing, swimming, cycling, thinking, and teaching.  I see myself as an elemental guy--some more interested in what it is that people live for as opposed what it is people do for a living or what they do for fun.  So here is where I want to talk about what I'm learning through those gerunds.