Life Maintenance

Our house was newly-constructed when we bought it 12 years ago. The yard was mostly seeded for grass, and it took a few years before we had anything resembling a lawn. My husband and I carved out a few spaces in the yard for flower beds. We tilled up the soil, planted shrubs and a few flowering plants, edged the spaces with paving stones, mulched, and then stood back and enjoyed our handiwork. These flower beds are aesthetically pleasing and have added some variety and definition to our yard. However, they require much more maintenance than the lawn. Keeping them weeded and tidy requires much more effort than mowing grass.

When we start a new job, or a new business, most of us carefully consider the initial investment of time and energy. We might put everything else on hold, and pour ourselves into this new project. But if this project continues to demand all our time, disrupting everything else in our life, then we have to reevaluate this venture. Is it worth the long-term maintenance?

A few years ago, my husband and I considered building our ‘dream house.’ We drew up the plans, got a rough estimate, and figured out how to pay for it. The initial cost of money and effort would be substantial, but that wasn’t what made us pause; it was the long-term maintenance of this ‘dream’, as well as all the other previous commitments that we would have to renege on.

When starting any new commitments—whether it be a new relationship, career move, educational pursuit, big purchase, or digging a new flower bed—consider the long-term maintenance of every endeavor along with the initial cost, time, and effort that need to be invested in it.