The Dad Talk
I had an interesting talk with my dad yesterday. Last week I called him to discuss my decision to sell the BMW F650GS and buy a BMW R1100S. I wanted his opinion. Afterall, he influences my frugal ways. He basically said it was not a good idea with our economy and that I should save all of my money.
Yesterday I called him to discuss something completely different. But he stopped me and said he wanted to tell me something. He said I should buy the bike. My mind and heart filled with emotion. He said that everything that I “need”, I already have taken care of. He said that I’m responsible and I really don’t go out buying many things. He followed this up by saying that I am still relatively young and that I should buy the bike if I really want it. Because as we get older, we lose the ability to enjoy those moments. He reflected back to the time when he was younger and he really wanted to buy a new chainsaw. Finally, he bought it and it made him so happy. In fact he still has that chainsaw today.
I did my homework on the purchasing decision. My motorcycle payment will basically stay the same, or possibly be less. And the loan is for a shorter length of time than my current bike.
It also made me feel good when he said I blew up his cell phone. His phone died when we talked last week. He said we haven’t talked that long about anything since I was a kid. It was kind of a bonding moment for the two of us.