I really dig what astrayalien is saying. But I can't say that living in the moment is always good or that it is the only thing good. A lot of times anticipation (waiting for certain future outcomes) feels good, and keeps you alive.
But I really don't know what makes life good. First, what is "good?" Things can't seem to be good if there is no bad to compare it to. So, what makes the things in life good, in a way, is the things in life that we perceive as bad, or eliciting negative emotions.
So I guess the answer is "the bad or lack of things that make you feel happy" And so because of this contrast, we are able to feel happy in comparison. And the good parts of life may be those moments of happiness, and for some, they may even want to add things that make them feel--because at least they feel alive with emotions even if they aren't of the most desirable types.
I guess what makes life good is that, whether or not there is a predetermined plan for the world, we do not know what the plan is and what the future holds-- so its a freedom/ignorance that allows us to keep up hope in all situations. And in addition to hope, we have other people with whom we can relate and have a sense of comfort and belongingness.
PS: I've cooked several times for others and enjoy it, but the thing I don't like about it is that sometimes I can't get honest feedback because the eaters perceive that any particular meal represents myself as a cook which in turn represents my ego and think that saying "it's a little too salty" would shatter it and destroy my existence-- you get the point. I think doing something nice for someone at an unexpected time beats that.
Peace...