Am I Missing Something

11-12-2025

Life Reflections.

At night, after dinner, is generally the time when both my wife and I power down after a long day to discuss our mutual feelings and thoughts. The topics are random and can vary widely. First up, generally, is our forever project to-do lists. After that, it’s game on, and no topic is left off the board. As of late, my reflections have been more about my overall life aspirations and the question: Am I missing something?

Am I Missing Something?

For me, this is not a single question but more like a multilayered chocolate cake. Looking at the outer layer, I am thinking about the overall icing that covers the cake. This represents the basics of our personal privcity and security. Since I’ve written a book on the topic, it is safe to say I am more hypervigilant than most, and my mind sees the world differently. Far too many people go through life burying their heads in the sand and go out of their way to be blissfully ignorant about the world around them. My mind will not let me default into this mode.

The additional layers of the cake explore more profound thoughts about how I can maintain my health as I age, whether there is anywhere else I want to go, and what I might want to see. Because I have been blessed with so many different life experiences, it’s almost impossible to impress me with a vacation. I get disappointed more than most, and need to learn more about how I manage those disappointments more effectively. I believe the entire concept of a weekend getaway or a vacation is to experience the magic of something out of the ordinary.

Planning Life.

My wife made an interesting comment the other night, where she retorted, “You’re obsessively planning your life. –   You don’t live your life.”  That comment made me smile because it reminded me once again how our brains are wired differently, and my response back was. “Planning my life is living my life.” Life is like a movie; you have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Life is messy, but I am constantly thinking about how to make it orderly.

Most people are so busy running around with a family and worrying about how they are going to pay the bills that they do not have the luxury of taking time to think about planning for their future or the deeper meaning of the life they are living. Are you the hamster on the wheel running nonstop? If so, what is the purpose of your life? I’m constantly asking myself that question and how to ensure I am fulfilling it.

Living Life.

A long time ago, I made the conscious decision to live an economical life beneath our means, which, in my mind, has made our lives more simplistic and less complicated. That meant living in a modest home in a typical neighborhood and limiting the number of toys and outward displays of wealth as much as possible. I don’t need self-grandisement, nor do I need to prove anything to anyone. Overall, I’ve done a decent job emulating the gray man concept, with one exception: my wife and I both have nice, relatively new luxury cars in the driveway. My goal is to be the chameleon in the crowd, hiding the lion in the background.

Situational Awareness.

I try to be aware of what’s happening not just around me, but also around the world, and how this might affect me and my finances. I accept that I don’t control life completely, but I’d rather dictate the outcomes than be on the receiving end, taking whatever’s handed out.

You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know!

This, for me, is the most haunting phrase I carry daily. As my wife knows, I have spent my entire life planning out scenarios. I have tried to cover every base, and I’m constantly looking and reading to expand my general knowledge in safety and security measures, improving my health, investing, tax law, and estate planning, to name a few. I am cautious about who I let into my inner circle, maybe too much so. But this, I think, is part of my internal safety mechanism.

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