“I’d like to live as a poor man with lots of money.”
– Pablo Picasso
As a pursuant of F.I.R.E. (Financial Independence, Retire
Early) I regularly read blog posts and listen to podcasts of folks who have
been far more successful in this endeavor than I. The Picasso quote above,
which I found in one of those recent blog posts, really got me thinking…
I’ve been fortunate to know what it’s like to be
both poor (for an American in the early 70s anyhow) and, more recently, well
off (financially-speaking, compared to most on the planet). And I hope
that neither comes off as a call for pity nor as arrogant. I’ve seen enough money-poor
people in the world who are far richer in faith, self-acceptance and peace of
mind than I will ever be to know that there are certain things that money
cannot buy. At the same time, I am not naïve enough to believe that, at least
in the society we’ve created here in this country, that the proper use of money
cannot lead to greater freedom, peace of mind and use of time.
I have two cats. One, Oreo, is perfectly content.
She doesn’t care much about going outside, as she seems to sense the dangers of
doing so (nearby dogs and further away coyotes). She enjoys looking out the window
at chipmunks, squirrels and birds, but more so her naps and eating regular cat
food. Occasionally, she chases her leaner, meaner sister (Olive) around the
house for both exercise and a trip down her evolutionary memory lane (when she
was a lion or another big cat of ancient times). This is oftentimes followed up
by some sunbathing and a nap just inside our back-deck window. All in all, Oreo
appears to be happy with her existence and seems to trust that all her basic
needs are taken care of and that she has people around her who love her and
enjoy her company.
My other cat, Olive, however, longs to roam the ‘wilds’
of our neighborhood and the wooded area that surrounds it. She rarely appears
to be content and seems to be always waiting nearby for someone to open a door
she can quickly exit if we are not paying close attention. Olive cannot stand
regular cat food, always crying for her ‘special treat’ soft cat food, cheese
and yogurt. And while she also engages in fisticuffs with her larger sister, she
appears to take these far more seriously than Oreo (probably because she
regularly gets the worst of it). Additionally, she alternately goes back and
forth between crying to be petted or held with wanting to be left alone,
frequently hanging out in the basement by her lonesome. While Olive
occasionally snuggles up in our lap as a sign of appreciating her surroundings,
you can almost see the desire for more in her eyes as she stares off into a
future the rest of us cannot see.
I believe the path to financial independence is the
middle ground of the two extremes described in my cat’s lives above. It’s
about marrying living within your means and being content with what you have (Oreo
eating regular cat food and enjoying the view) with having a vision for the
future and creating a plan to get there (Olive plotting her escape out of the
next open door).
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