File Closed

File in the: Be grateful for what you have - instead of angry over what you haven’t - folder. Here is the actual story of an altogether mundane incident that occurred in the last Saturday of my life. Not that LAST Saturday but last Saturday. Whew!

I have just exchanged the Bianchi Eros that I cleaned up and readied for road use, with a cute gal from North Seattle for $125. It was a bargain for her and as I am mired deep in the process of downsizing for the pending cabin demolition (rescheduled for 8.15), a necessity for me. A modern day win-win. 

I am walking back to Whitey Ford, a 2010 Ford Transit Connect that serendipitously came into my life a few weeks ago. As I leave the site of the aforementioned exchange of money for non-polluting, free, transportation, I pass the building that has housed a bicycle rental facility for several years now, owned and operated by an old friend of mine. He has branched out and is now the Northwest rep for a company called VANDOIT who manufacture and market luxury campers. And I do not use the adjective lightly. He was in a conversation with another wanna-be adventurer so I cued up and waited patiently for my turn. When it came my friend went immediately into his sales routine showing the myriad top-of-the-line features that the rig boasts. Before I knew it we were comfortably settled inside listening to the thousand watt stereo housed between the refrigerator, solar water heater, hydraulic bed frame and four bike movable ball-bearing rack. This thing is awesome. 

A full forty-five minutes later I decide that I gotta get back to work and ask for a brochure, of course readily available. We say our good-byes and I head up the street already putting together a game plan for the new web-site, franchise opportunity and riches that will surely follow this grand opportunity. I am crossing the new bridge over the ravine when I recall the brochure in my back pocket. Hesitantly, I pull it out and quickly inspect its triptych sales pitch. And get to the bottom line: Cost.

Two packages (with financing available and a trade in on any vehicle), the Go package from 48 -88 and the DO package from 38 - 78. 

My initial reaction, said out-loud with the appropriate facial expression and tilt of head is this: Not TOO bad. I start running the numbers on my mental ten-key calculator. By the time I had reached the end of the bridge is was blindingly obvious that I am not in the luxury category. And with that reality and acceptance another reaction followed. It went like this:

Dude, you just spent one-tenth of that on Whitey Ford. You will be taking people to experience the very same things that they will. Like flying coach class - you end upon at the same destination - but much, MUCH cheaper. So be happy. Appreciate the things you have - and do not obsess over the things you have not. 

File closed.