I had a very interesting
conversation with my sweetie last week. With all the hoopla
surrounding the $640 million lottery, we were laughing about what
we'd buy if we happened to win (we didn't, by the way). All the
usual big ticket items came up: beach vacation, red sports car,
bigger tractor, furniture, truckloads of fabric and fancy
sewing/quilting machines, a greenhouse, shortwave radios, tools,
houses or condos for our parents, etc. Oh, and diamonds, of course!
We considered how our lives
would change with such a huge amount of money. That responsibility
would not be fun. I bet we'd worry more than we do now. We'd spend
a lot of time managing the portfolio, talking with financial advisers
and avoiding panhandlers or long-lost distant relatives. It would be
so much more stressful to have mega-millions than it is to just have
enough.
I realized that I'm pretty
satisfied with my life as it is. We're enjoying retirement. I love
my home and don't really want a bigger or newer one. While watching
a cute gardener or landscaper work in my yard might be nice to think
about, I prefer to do my own digging and planting. It might be fun
to buy expensive stuff or go to exotic places, but I think it would
get old fairly quickly.
With the exception of the
homes for our parents, it occurred to me that most of the items on
our dream list are attainable if we really want them. Of course,
we'd have to choose between a few of the most important. All we
really need is to make plans for what we enjoy, and follow our
dreams.
Our simple tastes tell me
that I wouldn't make a good multimillionaire. I am happy with what I
have and wouldn't really change much about my life. However, I really do want that red sports car, so I might need an extra hundred
thousand. Guess I'd better buy a lottery ticket now and then.
You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need. ~Vernon Howard
^^^^^
