Too Much Month At The End Of The Money

I admit that with all my "environmentalism" and my personal crusade against wanton consumerism, I have every expectation to travel the world once my mortgage is paid off.

I made it a point, years ago, that a minimum of one-half of my monthly take-home income would go towards my mortgage. I am now on the cusp of paying that motherfucker off and I'm salivating like you wouldn't believe. I've spent the better part of fifteen years thinking about living without a mortgage and the closer it gets, the worse it gets. When it's finally over, it might be depressing.

I'll be like an Obama canvasser in 2008...full of hope and promise, on a mission...and when it's over, sorta let down...nothing else to hang my hat on, nothing else quite so important, nothing else quite so inspiring...the letdown after Bush left office...

I enjoy paying bills, I always have. That might be a requisite for anyone interested in staying out of debt, something you'll never hear from Suze Orman or Charles Givens. I have always enjoyed the ritual of figuring out if I'll have too much month at the end of the money. I've routinely overdrawn my checking account because I overpay my mortgage. But my persistence will soon pay off.

I intend on polluting our atmosphere, via jet propulsion, to a very significant extent come 2010 and beyond. I intend to see Santiago, Bremen, Auckland and Palermo before long. I might throw in Dar Es Salaam too, because I've wanted to visit that city since I was eight years old -- although I now chalk that up to irrational childhood exuberance. Nonetheless, I have grand intentions.

These intentions will be buffeted by my biking to work, taking the bus to work, and every other measure I take to make my local environment more liveable. This is my dillema -- how do I reconcile global recreational travel with a "tread-lightly" mandate?