This is an extremely pleasant Saturday afternoon. A cloud cover and brief rain have kept the house and yard pleasantly cool compared to the last few unnaturally hot days. I have a project to work on involving cables and sound equipment. I have food and drink at hand, and music in the background. Other than missing my spouse (who is off visiting one of our distant young’uns), I could hardly ask for better. And it is quite timely, too.
My little world has been all a-twirl for the last few weeks. We have been seriously pursuing a new housing opportunity that has occupied a large share of my life, thoughts, and emotions, much larger than housing usually does.
This pursuit has come about due the intersection of multiple factors, including
- real estate opportunities resulting from the recent economic unpleasantness,
- realizing (much to our surprise) that we aren’t getting any younger,
- recognition of our growing affection for water, including ocean, lake, marsh, river, and boats of all kinds, and
- the pleasant opportunity to share enjoyable surroundings with our family members more than just once or twice a year.
All of this has not come without its own share of fretting. It would be literally impossible for me to convey all of the ponderations I have been pondering. It has been downright ponderous.
Rather than even attempt to summarize, allow me to just list some of the key words, in no particular order, just to give you an idea of what has been waking me up at night of late. Words like investment, fun, stagnation, opportunity, conserving, spending, work, conservation, change, risk, future, age, life-phase, energy, fortunate, resources, fortune, parents, children, goals, inspiration, and happiness.
By my own observation, us humans are particularly good at arranging the facts to justify what we want to do. I try to be conscious of this tendency, and remain objective, but, really, how can you know?
Nonetheless, in all my thinking, I have reached some intermediate conclusions that I feel like sharing. Realizing that I am not you, and you are not me (unless it is me that is reading this), you should take them with a handful of salt, and perhaps take another look at the cartoon in my previous post.
- At some point in life, I think it is OK to ask yourself what you are saving for. (Or, if you are a stickler for grammar, “… for what are you saving.”
- For me, the appropriate use of my resources has always been a balancing act, weighing the needs and desires of myself and my family against inclinations toward sharing, altruism, and helping the less-fortunate.
- There are fears that plague us in our darkest moments – death, medical disability, painful loss, weather disaster, political upheaval, economic collapse, uncertainty about the future. Yet it is liberating to realize that these dire potentials can also provide a powerful justification for seizing the day, for enjoying every moment, for loving deeply, and, yes, sometimes even spending madly.
That’s it for now. I’m sure I’ll have plenty more to say as the future unfolds.