Living good or living well?

I can't lie. I like nice things.

I love fine wine, gourmet foods, and well-tailored clothes. I wouldn't mind a few more thousand square feet of living space, and before I die I am going to own a Mercedes CL600 coupe.

This is known in the vernacular as living fat. I prefer to call it living well. "Living fat" conjures up too many images of big bellies, cellulite oozing out of spandex and long lines at Mickey D's.

The irony is that living well often leads to being fat. The high lifestyle encourages us to indulge our sensual selves until we have grown flabby both physically and spiritually.

There is, however, another way to live - to live "good." It's a lesson I …