Things I Do Or Want To Do That I Consider Reasonable But That Require What Many Would Consider An Unreasonable Amount Of Money

Have 3 homes for my family (incl grandkids) - one "main" home plus one for summer vacationing and one for winter vacationing. All 3 should be nice enough to do vacation rentals when we're not there.

It's nice to give $50 a month to this or that charity, chipping away in tiny increments at massive problems... but I want to see people's whole life change. I wanna build more water wells, I wanna pay for people's kids to go to college, I wanna send addicts through rehab, I wanna help married couples in trouble with free therapy, etc. every month. As an example, currently my giving includes a cleft lip/palate surgery every month through Smile Train, a simple procedure that fundamentally alters a person's life forever for relatively cheap (like $250). I do other stuff too that's as close as I can get to major life improvement but I want to do a lot more.

I've had family members go through terminal illnesses where quality and/or duration of life can be increased by non-insurance approved treatments. Thankfully I was able to do it though not as much or as long as I would have wanted. To have been able to do nothing would have been emotionally devastating.

Fact: optimizing for lifespan and healthspan is expensive.

• Organic food costs more
• Properly sourced supplements from reputable labs with high-potency ingredients are expensive
• Above are essential given the deficiencies in store-bought produce
• Even if good produce is sourced to optimize biochemistry supplementation is advised
• Longevity and wellness medicine is rarely-if-ever covered by insurance
• Meat costs more (and vegan arguments are both environmentally and biologically nonsensical, yes that's what I believe save your breath trying to change me and I won't argue with you either ;) )
• Alternative health therapies are expensive (cryo, IV nutrition, etc)
• Massage is expensive
• Hormone and other blood testing is (somewhat) expensive
• Many people need trainers or coaching for motivation - not cheap
• Etc.

The best way to avoid mental health issues is preventative maintenance. I call that personal development - ranging from books & seminars to therapy and even proactive psychiatry. By the time most people are dealing with mental health it's mental unhealth.

The idea that the government tells me what days to take off is abhorrent to me. Slightly but not much less so is having to ask anyone permission. I am all about collaboration including forward-looking and respectful communication with professional peers about my availability, but to be told something along the lines of "no you can't take your child to ____ for their birthday" is a price I just won't pay. Unless I'm rich, I have to in this world.

I want to do things that make a meaningful impact in the world AND take care of myself physically, mentally and emotionally AND be a great spouse AND actually be home enough for my kids to know and observe the person doing all that. That is all unlikely unless I am a wealthy person who sets his own (very aggressive) schedule.

Think about it and I'll bet this is true for you too. Kids don't tend to have small dreams.