Meaningful Returns

I bought myself a lifetime of memories with four quarters. I mean, let that sink in for a moment.

Did you know that once your household income reaches about $75,000 annually, any income above and beyond that will have, on average, precisely zero impact on the quality of your life as you experience it? This has been shown pretty conclusively by a number of studies. Now, the way you evaluate your life, the way you talk about how satisfied you are with your life in general–that will keep changing positively with increased income, to a point. But your experiencing self, the you that is living here in this present moment–you become immune to additional income, no matter how hard you might try not to.

We don’t quite know why this is the case, though there is evidence which points to a rather simple explanation: the higher your income, the lesser your ability to enjoy the small things. AND THE SMALL THINGS ARE REALLY IMPORTANT.

This is how I bought myself a lifetime of memories with four quarters: in the tiny town of Carthage, there was one grocery store to serve all 2,000 residents. This store was a Piggly Wiggly, and it just so happened to be on the way from my home to the public pool about a mile away. Almost every summer day, I would eat lunch, swing a beach towel around my neck, put some quarters in my bathing suit pocket, hop on my bike, and head to the pool. But on my way was the Piggly Wiggly. And in front of the Piggly Wiggly were two vending machines. One was blue and had a picture of a giant RC Cola on it. The other was one of those with the clear plexiglass fronts operated by Lance. And with my four quarters I would purchase a Cheerwine from the RC Cola machine and a Honeybun from the Lance machine, sit down on the blazing hot North Carolina concrete, consume both, and then finish my journey to the pool.

When was the last time you had a religious experience at a Piggly Wiggly? Because it doesn’t have to stop when you grow up. It just gets a little harder. In fact, once your household income reaches about $75,000, it gets harder every time you get a raise.

I am not here to tell you that getting a raise is a bad thing. I am here to tell you that once you reach a certain point, it has a hidden cost, which is this: The more money you make, the easier it is to take Cheerwines and Honeybuns for granted, to forget how it feels to ride your bike to the pool on a hot summer day, to believe the lie which says, I must spend more and more to get more and more. 

It is a cautionary tale, but not a hopeless one. It’s a tale that brings the importance of giving into sharp relief, that ascribes much value to the idea of slowing down and being present wherever we are, that exposes the great truth that you can actually get more and more with only a bike and four quarters.