Would I trade 10 years of my life for wealth and fame? My gut reaction is to answer yes! Why? Why would I sacrifice a part of my life, and a significant percentage? My initial thoughts without overanalyzing this too much is that so much of the stress in life is caused by money woes.
a nice place to think about hypotheticals
I think of all the long hours that have to be worked in order to pay the bills, save for a vacation, save for retirement, save for emergencies, and college funds. The realization that you just caught up with everything, but birthdays, Father's Day, Mother's Day, Christmas, etc is here now and it steals the joy somewhat to realize that there will be added expenses associated with the holiday. The drop in the pit of your stomach when the check engine light is something that is caused because of money worries. If something threatens your livelihood, it is rooted in the worry of not having enough money to provide for your family.
unexpected expenses
A pandemic comes along and all of a sudden you can't work- money problems. A blown tire, a leak under the car, an air conditioner that goes out in July are all "real people" problems because of the money that it takes to solve them. Do you want to further your education? Do you have an illness not covered by insurance? Do your kids? Do your aging parents? I have a large family and am always going over the budget. When we want to turn on the air conditioner or heater because you are too hot or too cold, what is a major consideration? Money.
I could keep going on because the need of having money is like a cancer in a way that infects every aspect of your life. I don't obsess over this, but these are the thoughts that come in connection with a hypothetical possibility of trading life for wealth and fame.
Wealth could alleviate these stresses. My husband and I could both be with the kids full time. We could travel and give them a myriad of experiences in traveling and exposing them to different cultures and cuisines and lifestyles. No longer worrying about money would lift a weight off of our shoulders that would be worth it. I think that more good than harm could be done at this stage in my life. Being able to focus on my family and husband, and not the bills would be a little piece of bliss.
There are things that money can't buy of course, like the experiences we have gained by going through the stresses and trials that we have had to overcome due to needing to earn a living. These build character and make you grateful for what you do have. That is important, and because we have been through a lot of life experiences involving that, I don't think I would be short-changing myself by giving up the 'opportunity' to be gaining more of those experiences.
Would I have had these same thoughts 10 years ago- maybe not, but I am in a different place now that some other women might be, so can respect other's thoughts on the topic. It is a hypothetical after all, which makes you approach things differently. I hope that makes sense.
Am I interested in fame? No, I would take a hard pass on that. It can bring more trouble than it is worth. I would choose to be known of but would stay out of the public eye.
exhausted parents Christmas Morning, priceless
I am a big proponent of family and would choose to do this because of family. How can I rationalize giving up 10 years of life? My thinking is that I give up my last 10 years. Those are the years I would be worried about developing Alzheimer's, cancer, or other debilitating diseases. Those are the years that I fear I could be a burden on family. I plan on living till I am 100, so checking out at 90 is okay with me. Also, I think that I will live longer than my husband, so odds are I will already be living without him if we are talking about taking my last 10 years. If I had to give up the 10 years while I was still raising my kids, it would be a hard no to all of it.
There is my choice. Wealth and Fame for my last 10 years, where do I sign?
all the pics are mine