My father was an Air Force pilot and when some event or deadline was coming up, he used to say that you were "running out of runway," meaning that if you didn't take off soon, you were going to end up crashing.
One time, flying out of Japan to attack targets in North Korea, he almost did run out of runway. His B-26 was so overloaded with munitions that he barely made it airborne and over the breakwater in the ocean at the end of the runway.
Among the many things he taught me, that one in particular has stuck with me. It was reinforced by Arthur Gordon's interview with Rudyard Kipling retold in Gordon's excellent book, A Touch Of Wonder. Here's the relevant excerpt.
He talked of ambition, of how long it took fully to master any art or craft. And of secondary ambitions: the more you had, he said, the more fully you lived. “I always wanted to build or buy a 400-ton brig,” he said reflectively, “and sail her round the world. Never did. Now, I suppose, it’s too late.” He lit a cigarette and looked at me through the smoke. “Do the things you really want to do if you possibly can. Don’t wait for circumstances to be exactly right. You’ll find that they never are.”
I've tried to make this point with our kids several times. These days it's in regard to having children. Women run out of runway sooner than they think and they don't really know where the runway ends. They may find themselves aged out of potential motherhood at 32 or it may be 42. Either way, there is a season for all things and a finite length for all runways.
I realized recently that I'm in that same boat. Well over a decade ago, I took my first solo vacation in Dixie. I flew into Atlanta, rented a car and over several days, I made my way to Houston. I visited places in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. For some reason, I fell in love with Mobile and that love affair has only grown deeper. For the past year, I've been working with a realtor, looking at potential vacation homes there.
We found one. Wife kitteh and I are going to see it next week and put an offer in on it if all goes right. Wife kitteh was afraid of the transaction until she realized that nothing was at risk. We will sell a rental property here in San Diego and transfer that net worth to a rental property in Alabama. Our new property won't appreciate as fast or earn as much, but we don't need the money. There's no financial risk. At worst, our net worth will stay right where it is.
I, however, had a very different apprehension. Is this the right decision? Jacksonville has similar water features, is on the Atlantic Ocean and is big enough for an NFL team. It's about 6 times the size of Mobile. There's more to do, see and experience.
Bay St. Louis in Mississippi has similar water features, similar homes and is closer to New Orleans.
Baton Rouge has LSU and if you go south a bit, very nice homes.
Is Mobile the spot?
It doesn't matter any more. I'm out of runway. The Alabama property will be a place for activity and my body is aging out of activity. It's getting difficult to do certain things as my joints and muscles stiffen and decay with age. I figure I've got about 7-10 years left to do anything.
Of all my candidate choices, Jacksonville might be the best, but I don't have time to spend a year or more learning the area and finding a house. Yes, there might be a better place than Mobile, but I love Mobile and that's good enough to pull the trigger on this.
Do the things you really want to do if you possibly can. Don’t wait for circumstances to be exactly right. You’ll find that they never are.
 |
| It's time to stop dithering. This will do fine. We'll only own it for a decade at most. |
No comments:
Post a Comment