Thread: Too many toys
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Wilbur Hubbard Wilbur Hubbard is offline
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First recorded activity by BoatBanter: Feb 2007
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Default Too many toys


"Lloyd Bonafide" wrote in message
...

"Frogwatch" wrote in message
ps.com...
At some point, you exceed the optimum number of "toys" so that your
ability to maintain them begins to exceed your time to use them. I
believe this has happed to me. With two small homebuilt sailboats
and
a 28' S2 sailboat, a homebuilt dinghy, a 20' Tolman Skiff
(homeebuilt)
and a canoe, a 100 yr old log cabin in Wyoming that needs rebuilding,
an old Nissan truck with 309,000 miles on it that I love and a need
to
maintain camping and caving equipment (did I mention a 20 yr old
Dodge
Ram I inherited), I have no time to use any of it.
Yesterday, we wanted to go sailing but after I had de-fouled the prop
by going overboard in the canal, the engine overheated. Dang, I knew
I shoulda had the bottom painted thsi year (its been 4 years, a long
time in N. FL.). Engine intake was clogged with fouling and I
couldnt
find a piece of stiff wire long enough to run through the intake from
inside (I wasnt going back in that nasty water again). So, sometime
this week, I gotta take time offa work and go to the coast and do
this, oughta replace the impeller at same time, scrape barnacles too.
My prop is just about shot from corrosion and dings so I'll haveta
sail her about 40 miles sometime in early Oct to have her hauled,
prop
replaced, I will paint the bottom, and replace cutless bearing.
Somehow this week, I gotta set up caving gear for 5 people cuz my 20
yr old daughter has decided she wants to take her new BF on a caving
trip (gotta take the younger kids too).
Somehow, I think that I can do all of this if I optimally use each
evening and weekend to do stuff but something has to give. Money has
not been an issue because I do all the work myself cuz I dont like
the
work anybody esle does and I have built 4 of my boats and my truck
was
paid off 16 yrs ago. What should I give up to make room for doing
stuff?
OH, I have this notion of building a kayak for my 11 yr old daughter
cuz she likes kayaks............


Your life is focused on crap and maintaining the crap. Those "toys"
are no longer tools that are an extension of yourself but rather a
time consuming form of bondage. What is it that is important in your
life? What is it that you want to do? Are you using all this fixing up
old stuff to avoid actually doing something? Is fighting life on too
many fronts diluting your efforts/clouding your vision?

The stuff you have is merely an end product of your mental
organization and executive function. Take a long hard honest look at
yourself and your priorities. Once you have that straight everything
else is simple. Learn to trust others, learn to live with their
mistakes and learn to let go.


Spot on. Simple is better.

Wilbur Hubbard