Historical Photo:
(today's thoughts)
‘That boy will have our savings gone in a month. We are spending our money and we are going to enjoy it!’
‘That boy will have our savings gone in a month. We are spending our money and we are going to enjoy it!’
Those words
said to me by a dear friend when he learned how much in debt with credit cards his
son was. My friend had been conservative
all his life. Living debt free, presently he and his wife had what they wanted
and needed, but some of it had had to wait. As they waited their peers had
everything, ‘right then.’ But ‘right then,’ kept them so busy working to pay
debts they did not really enjoy the motorcycles, cars and boats because they
never had the time.
After that declaration my friend still felt
he had to save and would not pay for upgrades to his motor home. That is ‘TOO MUCH,’ he would say, (after all
he was only 71). He soon passed away before he spent that money. Unfortunately
for him, his sweet wife married a good man and he helped her spend some of that
savings. Of course she enjoyed spending it, but ‘I KNOW’ she would have enjoyed
spending it with the first husband much more.
Calling the
shots late in life is not easy, but they are final. Of course I want to leave
our sons an inheritance, but I also do not want to skimp in my last 5-10
years. Now let me tell you, it gets a
little scary when you think logically and life tells you, Hey, ‘YOU HAVE ONLY
5-10 YEARS at best of mobile livelihood left.'
If you are
reading this at 65 years of age or less, Odds are you have more than 20-25
years of quality life left, that ain’t bad. BUT if you are right at 80, no
matter how nice folks are with comments, logic tells a person you will be
fortunate to stay out of 'assisted living' 5 to 10 years.
I have two
friends in their early 90s who have gone blind and their hearing isn’t great.
They depend on their wives. Neither wife has complained as far as I can tell,
they seem to just be happy life is still there.
At least I have my original tooth!
Presently we
have another friend who is living alone and in his early 90s. Logic (again), (and his daughter)
says he should be in assisted living. He fell again yesterday and smashed his
TV. He is a good guy, but very stubborn and refuses to leave his home. With
a good mind he knows when he walks or leaves that home in a wheel chair, he
will never see it again.
I hope I
have enough sense to look at my sons, and allow them to live their lives.
Sherry and I have told the boys, when necessary, put us somewhere and come when
you can. We have lived our lives.
WOW, as I reread this, I am becoming morbid. We need to get on the
road!!!
Nite Shipslog
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6 comments:
PS: You do not want me on the road with you, me driving 36,000 lbs at ninety years of age. I know I don't! (smile, there is a limit to good health and reactions at 55-70 mph! for someone 90+ years old.)
I just thought I would add that! LOL
As the saying goes, “dont spend so much time making a living that you dont make a life”. I try to get Nick to understand that but it doesn’t work. We don’t do much, don’t have much and don't owe much but “what if the washer goes out? Or the newest one. “What if we have grand kids one day? We need to save”.
Uuughh!
Off to see the sandman
Lisa
Enjoy your money and spending it how you want to when you can still do it. As long as you have something put away for the proverbial rainy day, I'm all for getting out there and enjoying what was worked hard to get and I know you do great things to help out family members, etc. When I help out son here and there, I do tell him he eventually will get whatever may be left over, LOL, but I rather see him enjoying something here I give him rather than me not being here and him having that money.
Hoping you and Sherry are planning a trip!
betty
I will tell you that you sure are thinking a lot these days about age. I think you have been thrown a loop. You seem to me to be smart enough to know when you shouldn't be driving anymore - then you have a home to go to. If you and Sherry want to travel and buy a new RV do it and then when it is time to come home - come home. Enjoy life with Sherry. Hope I don't sound to bossy but you have done good. sandie
My children will never get much from me. I've only ever had just enough and no extra to spread around. So I guess you could say I'm spending my children's inheritance for sure. I'd say they all have more than I could have ever imagined. You worked for what you have and should be enjoying it. It's storming here today. Hope you are enjoying a good day there. Life is to short to be anything but happy !
Recalling my parent's sacrifices and working 3 jobs to afford me everything they hadn't. Then, in my 20's the occasions (yes, plural) when they'd bail me out of a financial mess. If I'd protest that a gift was too much, Daddy would say, "I'd rather give it to you with warm hands than cold."
Still. The short time he lived, my dad never denied himself -- whether it was good (albeit unhealthy) food or travel. He didn't wait for 'someday' to show, and for that I'm enormously grateful.
Go for it, Jack and Sherry!
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