It Must Be Nice

I had a number of errands to run yesterday and consolidated the visits to stores along a busy roadway, "the pike." I was riding my Harley, as usual, on a warm summer's day.

I was dressed in typical "biker attire" -- Wrangler jeans, Chippewa engineer boots (pants over), and a Harley t-shirt. It was way too hot to wear leather (other than my boots.)

One of the things I was doing was making sure that changes I had made to the bike all worked. I was given a gift card from my former employer, and decided to buy a back rest for my Harley with it. I installed the back rest on Sunday, and it works great. I also relocated my GPS, and found a way to connect its audio output to the bike's audio input for my CB radio, which connects to two little speakers inside my helmet. So now I can hear the GPS-lady yelling, "recalculating" as I make (yet) another wrong turn. LOL!

Anyway, I pulled into a parking lot at a store and parked. A guy about my age was getting into a panel truck that was parked in the space next to me.

He looked at my bike, and said, "it must be nice." I didn't say anything, and he continued, "you guys here in [snoburbia] have it all -- time off during the day to ride your big-ass Harley wherever you please. It must be nice."

He wasn't the kind of guy with whom to get into a discussion. It was obvious from the tone of his voice that he was jealous, or at least unhappy, that he had to work and drive an old beat-up truck and I show up on my nice shiny Harley.

Well, you know, I worked for my bike. Every penny I paid for it was earned by my own work. I didn't take out a loan. I saved for years to have enough money to pay cash for the bike when I was ready to get it. So yeah, it IS nice, but is the fruit of my labors. I don't travel (for fun), I don't even go on vacations. I don't eat out. I am really rather conservative with my cash. Even though right now I am "between jobs," I have saved sufficiently to live my usual life. I don't depend on my partner to cover my share of our expenses while I'm not working. I saved, invested, and have carefully managed my money.

I realize that this guy probably has worked hard all of his life, too, and may have kids to feed and a mortgage to pay and taxes and bills, etc., etc. I have expenses too. I've been fortunate to plan and to save and to be financially prudent so I can have at least one "thing" that cost a fair amount of money. Okay, so be it. "It must be nice." Yep.

Life is short: enjoy the fruits of your labor.