Daydreaming Amid the Flowers for a Couple of Hours

    Well I thought since school was over I would have so much free time, but once again I get busy and I push aside things like friends and this blog and other things.  I don't really have enough time to write a big ole' post now, but I thought if I am going to have a chance at getting to 100 that I'd have to start sometime soon.
    There is a man in my ward, Brother Haügen, who originally hails from Norway or Sweeden...some European country that is frozen 9 months of the year.  Anyway he was going to be gone for a large chunk of the day, and I was asked to watch his house while he was away (if that seems odd, there are more details to it, I just don't want to tell you so there).  I was at his house just short of 5 hours, so I had plenty of time to clear my mind, meditate, and daydream.  That was when I got this idea I want to share with you.
    Before I start with that though, I would like to preface it by informing you that I do realize this life epiphany or whatever you call it is coming from a young man who still lives at home and is given a very cushy life.  I would not say my parents are rich, but we do have enough to live quite easily.  So my opinion I am about to share might change once I get into the real world and start paying for my own car and insurance and house, and food, and clothes, and most everything else.  It is important that you understand that I do acknowledge my naïveté because I know you audience.  Once I share my feelings with you you are going to be all,

"Oh Luke, you have no idea what real life is like.  You are probably some hippy who thinks the world is powered by love juice and daisy farts."

Love juice and daisy farts?  Not only are you guys crude, but you make no sense.  ANYWAY, keeping my lack of life experience in mind, let me tell you what I think.
    I highly doubt I am going to have the same standard of living as my parents.  I doubt I will come even close.  I am saying I will have a lower standard of living than them, not a higher one.  The thing is that I don't think I want the way my parents live.  Now before you call me a hippy and throw your rotten tomatoes at me, remember that I have said I think anyone who says they wouldn't want to be a rock star is either a saint or lying.  I still believe that, and I am no saint.  Sure it would be fun to be rich and/or famous, and go everywhere in a private jet, drink orange juice out of a champagne glass (name that reference!), and being able to buy anything that you ever wanted.  I just quoted three rappers in that sentence, I think that's a record.  However I do not have that passion to be filthy stinking rich.  Not even just stinking rich or filthy rich, or any kind of rich (no that's not true, because you do not need a lot of money to be rich).
    My dad is really an inspiration.  He works so hard for easily 18 hours or more a day.  He loves what he does so it is not too much of a burden, and he gets paid very well for what he does.  I do not want to work 18 hours a day.  I didn't even think there were that many hours every day... wait... I am being told that we have the technology to know how many hours are in a day... there are 24...is that every time?... Yes I am being told every day has 24 hours...that seems like a lot.  Unless I find a career that I love and would do for free (which I hope I do) I would never work that long on any one thing.
    Maybe it's still my youthful ignorance, but I feel like if I was making like 30K a year that I would be rich.  Lets do some math! OK, 30K a year is 25hundred a month.  So lets take out  $400 rent, $120ish utilities, $425 for car and insurance, $250 food, oh duh! of course $250 tithing, like 13% tax($325), $50 clothing (gotta be in style), $80 cell phone, $80 internet (that covers all my TV and most entertainment), and $250 for fun (movies, games, dates, etc), and that still leaves another $270 to save for a rainy day.  Naturally things get more expensive when you have a family, but one person could live fine on that money if they are smart with it. 
    I have been considering working in North Dakota on the oil rigs after my mission.  People starting out can make anywhere from 75K to 90K a year.  If I can live fine on 30K imagine what I could do with that.  Even if I only worked one year, that is college (living expenses and books included) taken care of.  Maybe even enough to buy a used car.  The only problem is you have to live in North Dakota in the middle of nowhere. 
    I would like to drive around in a black 2007 Mercedes E class? Heck yes!  That car makes me drool.

However, it isn't worth going into huge amounts of debt, or working 24/7 to pay for it.  At least not to me.  The only things I care for in a car...well deeply care, is that the outside looks good (i.e. no dents, scratches, the paint is all one color) The inside is clean and does not smell like a dog kennel, and that it starts when you turn the key. 

    Would I enjoy living in a 20,000 sq.ft. house?  Maybe if I had a staff to keep it clean for me.  Though it would not be very fun if I was single, or if I had a large family.  I like architecture, there are some beautiful huge houses, but I would never like to live in one.  This I can say for sure, after living in my parents house which is 8,000sq.ft.+.  It is just too much work, and incredibly expensive.  I want to live in a smaller house regardless if I can afford a bigger one or not.  I wouldn't want a two bedroom one bath if I ended up having 10 kids...I want just enough space so we are comfortable, but no excess.  All I want in a house, in addition to what I said before, is for it to be cool, have interesting furniture, or at least some personality, and for it to be clean.  I hate living in a mess, which is one reason why I don't like my parents house because it is always messy because there is just too much to clean.
    I need to wrap this up.  What you should take from this, is that things and luxuries are fun, but in the end they are just things, and it is just money.  Those fun things are not what is important, and not what we should be focused on getting.  I am not a socialist or a communist, spend your money however you want, if you work hard, you should be rewarded blah blah blah Rush Limbah FTW!!!  That reminds me of a joke: 
    So the richest man in the world dies in his bed one night, and Saint Peter comes to collect him.  Saint Peter congratulates him on being good enough to get into heaven, and tells him he can take one thing with him.  The man was a good man, but he liked money and wealth, so he thought about taking all the cash in his vault.  Then he thought, "No, what if the dollar isn't worth much in heaven".  So he looked around his room and saw his wardrobe of fine linens and thought maybe he could sell them when he got there, but he noticed how Saint Peter and all the other angels were wearing white robes so they probably wouldn't value fine clothes.  Then he thought that gold carries the same value everywhere, so he carried with him as much gold as he could.  Peter looked puzzled, but said nothing.  The man entered the pearly gates and soon saw one of his old friends.  The man's friend greeted him, but couldn't stop laughing.  "What is it?" the man asked.
    "Well I think it is funny that you were allowed to bring any one thing with you, and out of all your possessions, you decided to bring pavement."
    *Crickets chirping*  You decided to bring PAVEMENT! ...get it? ...Oh it's just not funny?... oh...