Recipe for a “Priceless” Moment

For those of you that have read some of my previous blogs (and I think that’s about 4 of you), you may recall my plans to take my wife Susan on a surprise trip to Aruba.  Well, I’m happy to report that she was surprised, and it was a wonderful vacation.  I made sure to book a nice, adult-only resort situated on one of the top ten beaches in the world.  I booked the “Romantic” package, which included a sunset sail, a welcome basket with champagne and chocolates, and dinner for two on the beach.  It was perhaps one of the most memorable vacations I have ever taken.

The most important decision we needed to make each day was where we were going to eat dinner.  Someone once told us that you really have two choices: you can eat, or you can dine.  There is a distinct difference that I’m sure some of you can appreciate.  But this has an even more important meaning for the two of us.  Over the last 16 years, Susan and I have made a list of some of the most memorable dining experiences we have ever had.  They include eating baby neck clams on the porch of a highway restaurant in Maui, sharing a bucket of Coronas while eating all you can eat fajitas in Grand Cayman, and a surprising evening at a French restaurant outside of Charleston, WV.

It was in this spirit that Susan and I considered our options.  Each night we looked at where we could go to have that “memorable” meal.  We tried Smokey Joes, but that was too crowded.  We enjoyed a romantic dinner on the beach, but that was too staged.  No matter where we went, our special dinner was not to be found.  So, on the last evening of our stay, I told Susan, “Let’s just go to the restaurant everyone has told us about and not worry about the price.”  We ended up at a place called The Screaming Eagle (probably because it was located near Eagle Beach).  And that’s when it happened.  We experienced what we had been searching for the whole trip: our memorable meal.

In life, we make choices everyday about how to spend our time, money, and energy.  The truth is sometimes the experience alone is worth the cost.  It’s not about how big your house is, or how many things you can accumulate, but rather who did you spend time with, where did you go, and what did you do.  Some may argue that spending money this way is an extravagance, and that the money spent on it could have been used for a greater purpose.  While I appreciate that this money could have been used for many other things, I am of the opinion that splurging every once in a while on someone you love IS a greater purpose.

Susan and I live a fairly modest lifestyle.  We live in a single family home that is big enough for the family but probably the smallest house on the block.  We buy used cars and drive them until they’re worth less than the repairs.  We shop for food at Aldi, clothes at Target, and everything else at Walmart.  Both of us are frugal people who spend money reluctantly, and when we do it’s usually out of necessity.  As a result, our lives at times have seemed pretty mundane.  It’s only when we’ve been willing to let go of our frugal tendencies that each of us, together, have experienced the most magical moments of our lives.

Take a step back and consider what things in your life have the most meaning, and make an investment in those things.  You may not have a lot to show for it, but the memories and the experience are priceless.

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