I doubt that she was thinking, when she turned her head and saw the truck coming, "Well, there goes that trip to Greece." But I thought that, later. I thought that the overlooked corollary to "it's never too late" is "it's never too early."A good reminder.
The day after Jeanne Steager died, I went into Mr. Stern's office and quit my job. I was out of there in an hour; I was back home for lunch. It's never too early. Plans are just guesses.
. . .
When you're young you think that life stretches out indefinitely and you can take this crap for another decade. And the lesson of Jeanne Steager is, No, you bloody well can't. Life is of varying lengths, and actuarial tables are only averages, and sometimes you gotta close your eyes and jump. Even if it's scary; especially if it's scary.
(via This Modern World)
4 comments:
I am extremely vexed with this sort of issue right now - trying to weigh potential future macro problems (eg peak oil) against responsible personal financial planning for the longterm against the problem of being so 'responsible' that one doesn't take opportunities to enjoy life.
Upshot of the moment: Can/should I buy my dream house or not??
Another upshot: Am I putting too much into 401ks, given various uncertainties (eg the likelihood of being in a much HIGHER tax bracket when withdrawing..)?
And I'm very, very torn on all of this. Sigh.
wait! I thought you were already all house-y and cozy! :)
but yeah -- it's basically, "where is the line between responsible and joyless?" and maybe also, "where is the line between living your dreams and being completely self-indulgent?" and so forth.
no anwers, so good to ask the questions every now and again...
Oh, we have a house. And it's a fine house.
But I found my dream house. And I really, really want it. :-/
ah... that IS a dillemna.
good luck!!
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