money

Last night Coach asked me a question...today, in a completely different type of conversation Jojo asked the same question: "If money were no object, what would you do?" Coach and I had been talking about jobs, Jojo and I were talking about life, but in both cases I thought about the reality of money not being a factor in my decisions and how different life would be.

For the most part I am happy, I like my life and the things that bring me the most joy aren't things that money can buy...one thing I don't have enough of, and money would help with though, is time with friends and family. Money can't extend the day, of course, or give you more than 7 days in a week, but it can buy you the freedom to do whatever you want with your time and since most of my time is spent either at my job or commuting to and from it, that would be a huge change. I would also spend more time working out...I would get back to golf, the gym, and yoga...all of which have become a luxury. I would spend more time traveling...I would get to all those places I have been wanting to go or go back to, and whenever there was an exhibit or show or something else that I thought sounded interesting I would just go...without a second thought.

When we were in Charleston in July and on our "dontkay ride" through downtown the Pea spotted a hotel and went nutty. It was painted pink and she fell in love...I promised her at the time we would go back to Charleston, and stay the weekend in the pink house. (http://www.millshouse.com/gallery/index.html) We haven't been able to do that and that would be first on the list.

Also on that list:

Trips up north every month...some months New York, some months Massachusetts, others Rhode Island...we would visit friends and family, or just hang out and enjoy the scenery. We would no longer miss birthdays, holidays, the fall foliage, the whales migrating, Yankee games, or the annual clearance sale at L.L.Bean. I still wouldn't live up there, but being able to enjoy it and see everyone would be nice.

Big sporting events...not saying I would want to go to every NFL game or every baseball playoff, but if the Panthers actually made it to the Super Bowl (yes, I am laughing out loud) or the Cubs made it to the World Series, I would want to be there. Also the Masters, Final Four, Rose Bowl...you get the idea.

Love my little house and the town I live in, they are both great, but if I could I would live on the water...I would live at the beach, and I would have a housekeeper to vacuum up all the sand. I would have a little office with a window that faced the ocean, and I would get up every morning and write...well after I ran to DD and got a coffee that is...my brain doesn't function without caffeine, even in a parallel universe where I have all the money in the world.

How about you? What would you do...how would you live...what would your life be like if you didn't have to think about money?