So I swallowed my pride and went looking for a garden gnome. I found one, which I will move periodically to maintain the surprise necessary to puncture my pride with whimsey.

The most serious undertakings always need a tiny bit, about a gnome-sized bit, of whimsey. The calculated surprise. The unanticipated delight. What gnomes will you hide inside your next serious undertaking? Let one loose in there and almost everything will remain the same. But whatever changes might delight you when you least expect and most need delight.