Funny how you can run head-first into a sharp reality check when you least expect it.
My visit to Hawk Cricket & Leisure Limited in Belbroughton the other day was a case in point.

A day earlier I’d read an excellent column on the official Liverpool FC website by regular contributor Paul Tomkins.

In it he offered an accurate critique of the modern day football fan – a curious beast whose obsession with winning at all costs is gradually eroding his/her enjoyment of the game.

He backed up his thoughts with reference to a book, Affluenza, by psychologist Oliver James, a publication I’ve heard of, but not read.

It’s binding theory is we are becoming less and less content with our lives because we are made increasingly aware via advertising and the media of the things that are on offer.

We are constantly told what we should be aspiring to but that just throws into sharp focus how far short of those ambitions our lives fall.

The more we compare our lives as they are with how they could be, the more unhappy we become.

And so we fail to appreciate what we have.

This struck a bit of a chord with me, because, like many people, I suffer moments of harsh self analysis.

Whenever those clouds of doubt descend life seems to have fallen short of ambition and aspiration – shouldn’t I have achieved more by now? Shouldn’t I be earning a bit more? Haven’t friends and former colleagues done better?

As I plunge further into my fourth decade, so the need to pursue that vague idea of a “better life” becomes more pressing – even though I have no idea what it really means.

Affluenza is an irritatingly persistent complaint.

But the trip to Belbroughton provided the perfect anitdote.

Because if contentment is a rapidly decreasing commodity in society then it can still be found in abundance inside the workshop where Mike Hawk and colleague Bernie Facer produce handmade cricket bats.

I don’t think I’ve ever met two men so content with their lot.

Their mood is clearly aided by the firm’s idyllic rural setting.

They are both big cricket fans as well, so business goes hand in hand with pleasure.

But there is an increasingly rare mindset at play as well.

As I was filming them Mike said: “You know what, I’m not going to earn lots of money but there’s absolutely nothing else I’d want to do, it’s a great life.”

The mood of peaceful contentment continued over a cup of tea and chocolate biscuits, as we swapped thoughts on cricket and they pointed out my undeniable resemblance to England bowler Ryan Sidebottom.

The worries and pressures of life back in the Black Country seemed to belong to a completely alien world.

To be honest I was pretty reluctant to leave but I’d like to think I brought back with me some of the magic dust that has been sprinkled around the workshop.

So whether you are in the market for a cricket bat or just need a reminder of how life really should be I’d strongly advise a visit to Belbroughton.