A GOOD TIME TO GIVE INTO IMPULSE

For the last eighty years of my life, I have been an extremely careful shopper. I look for bargains in grocery stores; I check the sale racks in clothing stores. On Amazon, I aim to buy the best quality product when its price is at its lowest. I could count on two hands the number of times I’ve bought something at full price on impulse.

Who taught me about thrift? My parents, of course. As members of the great generation (my father fought in WWII in Guadalcanal), my parents scrimped and saved to give their five children the best future they could imagine.

I’m forever grateful they sent my sister and me to St. Olaf College in Minnesota, a foremost small college giving us excellent preparation to become teachers. I went on to public school administration, eventually opening a brand new high school in Everett, Washington, thanks to the sacrifices of my parents. I have a brother who found his calling at West Point and a career in the Army, another brother who worked as a geologist for a major American company, and a third brother who enjoyed a job as a machinist. We all owe so much to the careful penny-pinching of our parents.

But now, at eighty, I’ve decided to loosen up. I’ll pay five dollars for a Hami cantaloupe today, largely because it’s a fruit I never had the nerve to buy in the past. It’s a delicious cross between a cantaloupe and a honeydew melon. So crisp, juicy and sweet. I’ll also drive all the way to a winery to purchase their expensive but extraordinarily delicious tomatoes, and never once be sorry. Heck, I even bought some pineapple the other day that was already cut up for me by the grocery elves. Now that’s a big deal!

To celebrate my eightieth birthday, I went wild. With my buddies, I went shopping for glammy clothes I didn’t need, satisfied I’d be wearing a new and special outfit for the occasion. Having never attended a party via limo, I hired one for my eight friends and happily paid for the limo and gratuity along with some fabulous champagne to drink as we picked up partygoers. We ate a delicious dinner at a restaurant, outside, with a view of the ocean, relishing the fact we were healthy, happy, and enjoying each other’s company.

At eighty, I have a right to be more impulsive. Be assured, I won’t go crazy with this new attitude, because thrift is in my blood. Still, the idea I can buy and try new things at my age makes me happy. Watch me. This next decade or two promises to bring lots of surprises and fun into my life.