A most thoughtful post ...

... by Patrick Kurp: `The Knowledge Which Experience Must Confer'. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

I was struck by some similarities between myself and Auden and Johnson (and, I gather, Patrick). I certainly suffer from poor eyesight, though I am far from indifferent to either cleanliness or my surroundings. I like to dress well, and live well, and I do.
But I certainly agree that “effort in daily habits – such as rising early – was necessary to 'reclaim imagination’ and keep it on an even keel.” And I value loving more highly than being loved (luckily for me) and agree that “the `main of life’ consists of `little things.’
I also agree with Patrick that books are experience. But the appreciation of them surely is enhanced by "the knowledge which experience must confer.”