Old Life - Same Life: Schemes Continue

So my post about how I've changed got me to thinking about how I've not changed. Confession: I continue to be a stuff schemer.

Stuff scheming goes like this. I want something. But I don't have the money to buy it. And also I already have too much other stuff. So I sell off a bunch of stuff and get the new thing I'm scheming to acquire. There are two problems with stuff scheming.

1. There is no such thing as perpetual motion consumption (Might post on this phenomena soon). Stuff scheming is always a net financial loss.


2. Why cannot I just keep stuff? Why so bored?

So let me just admit that my latest stuff scheme is a surfski. Those things look so cool. There is plenty of "justification" for scheming to get a surfski.

Recently I've been convicted that I have lived in San Diego nearly all my life and have rarely made it to the beach. It's like what happened to me one day about a year after graduating high school. I was driving along and looked up. It was a crisp, puffy cloud day. I could see the mountains in the east. And I was passing this beautiful lake. The sun was shining. And suddenly it struck me, "I live in the most amazing place! Why have I never seen it before?" So recently I've been struck by the fact that I've missed out on the ocean. And I'd like to participate. And I love boats. And so a surfski seems just the thing.

Uh huh. Sure.

Anyway, surfski aside, one thing I've tried to do in order to contain my stuff scheming is to require a period of scheme analysis. Scheme analysis is a time period - at minimum several months, sometimes up to a year. During this stretch of time, I set some goals. For example, if I want some new camping gear because I plan to climb Mount Everest, then I'll need to prove I am actually going to use the new gear by running every day and going for local hikes that push my limits. If after a few weeks of enthusiastic training I peter out, then I hold off on booking my Sherpas.

I'm still undecided on the surfski. Right now my scheme and analysis involve renting a kayak several times and spending more time at the beach in the water. Probably the scheme will not come to fruition for at least six months or more. And if it goes down during the 100 Thing Challenge, I'll have to decide if it is worth giving up some things to acquire at minimum a surfski, paddle, and PFD. Probably not.

We'll see if I keep scheming, and if I'll ever change.

Comments

[mDuo13]

You know, I think I have a pretty similar attitude. Before I buy anything expensive, I question myself: Do I really want it, or is it just a passing fancy? Then I decide to see how far I can get for free or very cheap, and if I'm still serious enough after having started to reach the limits of not-having-bought whatever it is, then I'll probably actually buy it.

But a lot of times I really do end up giving up first.