When I was a kid, we used to "dream build" by imagining what we would do if we had a million dollars.
Of course, now, we would have to have at least 10 million dollars, but the idea is the same.
Is there real value in money? I don't know because I've never had any worth talking about.
Is there value in health? Yes. I know that for sure having been on both sides of the fence.
Is there value in owning things? Yes. I value many material things. I would miss them if they were lost, broken, stolen, or taken away from me.
Is there value in family? It seems we don't appreciate that as much as we should. People related to me by blood are for the most part, not really happy with how I turned out. People who became family through other means are pretty much the same. So, for personal experience, I'd have to say there is not much value there.
Is there value in friendship? Yes. I think that rather than being able to choose my friends, I have been chosen. I have been honored.
So, if I had money, what would I do with it?
Money to me means freedom to be able to do all of the things I want to do rather than doing the things I have to do.
I wouldn't want to become lazy and just lay around on a beach all day. But, I would probably change things a bit to allow me to travel and see the world.
I would be able to take the time to "walk the Appalachian Trail, or something similar to that. In order to hike the entire trail, a person would have to be able to take at least 6 months off from what they normally do. For me, it would mean not being able to work. Since I depend on work in order to live, I couldn't do that. If I didn't have to work, I could take the time, if I chose. So, it's more of an ideal situation rather than an actual thing. Walking the trail could mean sailing around the world, or taking off to a 3rd world country to help others, or volunteering somewhere here in the States. Or, choosing how and when I worked, instead of having to work in order to survive. I wouldn't have any problem working at Burger King for low wages if I knew I had enough money to be comfortable when I wasn't working. I don't think I would be idle.
Before I found Bariatric, I read about the "Fat man walking". I believe I wrote about it on this blog way back when. This guy basically walked away from all his responsibilities by walking across the country in order to lose weight he had gained since leaving the military. He left his wife and kids behind and just started walking. He tried to write about it in order to offset some costs, but ended up screwing up the life he left behind. He lost his family, and really ended up looking like a fool. And, he didn't really lose the weight.
If I had the money (security), I would walk across the country. But the difference between him and me, would be that I would plan the trip. I would not be leaving anything or anyone behind. And, I would be walking towards a goal rather than walking away from a problem.
People today are looking for heroes. They are trying to see something in others that doesn't exist.
Another guy I saw recently had a gift of having an amazing voice. He could make anyone feel good just by talking. But, he had so much emotional baggage, as well as a substance abuse problem. He was on the street for a good reason. He needed medical and psychological assistance.
But the hero hunters found him and handed him way more than anyone could hope to have. He got his "million dollars" handed to him. He screwed it up too because he wasn't prepared or (maybe?) worthy of it.
The way I see it, there are always people who need help in some way. If they reach out for it with the goal of using that help as a "hand up" and not a "hand out", then they should be helped. Of course there are people out there who will always need help and they aren't a part of this discussion. Those people should be helped no matter what.
I have problems and could use some help. But, I won't run away from my problems by walking away from them. I won't ever take help from someone without expecting to use that help as a "hand up" in order to get back on my feet.
How someone got into the situation isn't as important here as what they intend to do to get back to where they should be.
I may not want to get back to where I should be. I may not deserve to be helped. I may need to be left alone in order to figure out where I need to be, and what I should do to get there. This is why I am not doing something like walking away from my problems.
Some time down the road, I may walk away from my problems. I do think about the extreme solutions. I really don't think I'll ever get that far.
Life is good!
So, what would I do if I had the money?
Of course, now, we would have to have at least 10 million dollars, but the idea is the same.
Is there real value in money? I don't know because I've never had any worth talking about.
Is there value in health? Yes. I know that for sure having been on both sides of the fence.
Is there value in owning things? Yes. I value many material things. I would miss them if they were lost, broken, stolen, or taken away from me.
Is there value in family? It seems we don't appreciate that as much as we should. People related to me by blood are for the most part, not really happy with how I turned out. People who became family through other means are pretty much the same. So, for personal experience, I'd have to say there is not much value there.
Is there value in friendship? Yes. I think that rather than being able to choose my friends, I have been chosen. I have been honored.
So, if I had money, what would I do with it?
Money to me means freedom to be able to do all of the things I want to do rather than doing the things I have to do.
I wouldn't want to become lazy and just lay around on a beach all day. But, I would probably change things a bit to allow me to travel and see the world.
I would be able to take the time to "walk the Appalachian Trail, or something similar to that. In order to hike the entire trail, a person would have to be able to take at least 6 months off from what they normally do. For me, it would mean not being able to work. Since I depend on work in order to live, I couldn't do that. If I didn't have to work, I could take the time, if I chose. So, it's more of an ideal situation rather than an actual thing. Walking the trail could mean sailing around the world, or taking off to a 3rd world country to help others, or volunteering somewhere here in the States. Or, choosing how and when I worked, instead of having to work in order to survive. I wouldn't have any problem working at Burger King for low wages if I knew I had enough money to be comfortable when I wasn't working. I don't think I would be idle.
Before I found Bariatric, I read about the "Fat man walking". I believe I wrote about it on this blog way back when. This guy basically walked away from all his responsibilities by walking across the country in order to lose weight he had gained since leaving the military. He left his wife and kids behind and just started walking. He tried to write about it in order to offset some costs, but ended up screwing up the life he left behind. He lost his family, and really ended up looking like a fool. And, he didn't really lose the weight.
If I had the money (security), I would walk across the country. But the difference between him and me, would be that I would plan the trip. I would not be leaving anything or anyone behind. And, I would be walking towards a goal rather than walking away from a problem.
People today are looking for heroes. They are trying to see something in others that doesn't exist.
Another guy I saw recently had a gift of having an amazing voice. He could make anyone feel good just by talking. But, he had so much emotional baggage, as well as a substance abuse problem. He was on the street for a good reason. He needed medical and psychological assistance.
But the hero hunters found him and handed him way more than anyone could hope to have. He got his "million dollars" handed to him. He screwed it up too because he wasn't prepared or (maybe?) worthy of it.
The way I see it, there are always people who need help in some way. If they reach out for it with the goal of using that help as a "hand up" and not a "hand out", then they should be helped. Of course there are people out there who will always need help and they aren't a part of this discussion. Those people should be helped no matter what.
I have problems and could use some help. But, I won't run away from my problems by walking away from them. I won't ever take help from someone without expecting to use that help as a "hand up" in order to get back on my feet.
How someone got into the situation isn't as important here as what they intend to do to get back to where they should be.
I may not want to get back to where I should be. I may not deserve to be helped. I may need to be left alone in order to figure out where I need to be, and what I should do to get there. This is why I am not doing something like walking away from my problems.
Some time down the road, I may walk away from my problems. I do think about the extreme solutions. I really don't think I'll ever get that far.
Life is good!
So, what would I do if I had the money?
- I would get out of debt.
- I would get a "real" bathroom and a "real" kitchen for my house.
- I would hire someone to help me clean so I could spend time working on my life instead of working for my life.
- I would hire people to help me finish fixing the house instead of trying to do it all myself.
- I would take a real vacation. I've never had one that lasted for more than 4 or 5 days. I've always come back from them feeling worse than before I left.
- I would host a party. Can't afford to do that now.
Would I buy a fancy expensive new car? No. I am happy with the ones I have now. I might even keep both of them instead of selling one to help cover expenses.
Would I buy a yacht? No, but maybe a kayak.
I might buy a motorcycle, but only because I enjoy riding and would like to do that more.
Would I buy a condo at the shore? No, I might rent a place so I could vacation there when I needed time off.
Oh, do I need time off right now.
Would I quit my job? Yes. I like my job, but it doesn't earn me enough money to continue to live here much longer, and I can't take off from it in order to go anywhere. I am also not as confident in my skills as a driver as I used to be. I don't want to hurt anyone, or be hurt myself, so I wouldn't want to drive for a living.
I would like to find a village somewhere that I could live where I don't have to drive to get around. If I needed a car, I could rent one, or take a bus, train, or donkey.
When I was young, I thought about the possibilities of owning a large house/property and making lots of money. Now, I would rather have the time alone or with close friends. I'm no longer interested in the rat race, or working for someone else who has these unrealistic expectations. I work to live. I don't live to work.
Would I buy a yacht? No, but maybe a kayak.
I might buy a motorcycle, but only because I enjoy riding and would like to do that more.
Would I buy a condo at the shore? No, I might rent a place so I could vacation there when I needed time off.
Oh, do I need time off right now.
Would I quit my job? Yes. I like my job, but it doesn't earn me enough money to continue to live here much longer, and I can't take off from it in order to go anywhere. I am also not as confident in my skills as a driver as I used to be. I don't want to hurt anyone, or be hurt myself, so I wouldn't want to drive for a living.
I would like to find a village somewhere that I could live where I don't have to drive to get around. If I needed a car, I could rent one, or take a bus, train, or donkey.
When I was young, I thought about the possibilities of owning a large house/property and making lots of money. Now, I would rather have the time alone or with close friends. I'm no longer interested in the rat race, or working for someone else who has these unrealistic expectations. I work to live. I don't live to work.
