[Note: After reading a recent post, my friend, Brittany, suggested that I watch “The Barkley Marathons” on Netflix. I did, and wow! For the Netflix aficionados among us, it is a good use of ninety minutes. I’ll just leave this as a teaser for anyone interested.]
In “The Barkley Marathons” (Netflix, see note above), a graduate student named John shared that he was taught as a child to work hard, save, and plan for the future. John was a good son who bought what his folks were selling. However, his father, practicing what he preached, worked and saved throughout his adult life so that he and his wife could travel the world on retirement only to die one year before retirement. This effected a change in John who decided that you should live life while you have it.
I’m with John. I’m not signing up for The Barkley Marathons anytime soon, but I’m with John.
Now to be clear, I’m not advocating that anyone quit work, buy a sports car, and go all Thelma and Louise on the world. Instead, I suggest that we spend some quality time determining what it means to really, truly live, and do that now instead of later. Later does not come with a guarantee.
Is it possible that “living life while you have it” could look like hard work and saving to travel the world when you retire? I think so. If that’s what you discover. I simply (and humbly) suggest that you make sure of it before placing all of the proverbial eggs in such a basket.
Starting to Look Up 