Buying my first home is wonderful, however it has raised a hairy beast in my mind…the feeling of being a slave to debt. One way or another we have to pay for somewhere to live. Whether it is renting or buying our own home, I came to the conclusion that it is better to be paying off our own mortgage, rather than someone else’s.

As I rode my bike to work a profound thought came to mind. Are we free or are we slaves? All of us have to earn money, pay for things, go to work, press repeat on our day every day. Until we reach the golden age of retirement, if we manage to live that old, only then can we rest on our laurels and relax, but can we? Most people I know spend (excuse the pun) most of their working lives stressing out about having enough money to retire on. Reality check: we will not all live to 100. Some of us will barely make it to retirement. I know this all sounds a bit harsh, and I know I am coming from a fairly grim perspective. All my family have died young. Besides my Dad, he lived to a ripe old age of 79, and he really enjoyed retirement. He worked damn hard for his money his whole life, so I am pleased he was able to relax and enjoy his twilight years. Others were not so lucky, one not even reaching 50! We do not have forever here on this planet. All of us will eventually have the same fate. Now I do not aim to dwell on death, more so, how can we make the very most of the life we have been given?

The point I am aiming to make here is, we live in a country of many freedoms, but really how much freedom do we really have? We all have to work, we all have so many things to pay for, obey so many rules, and always do what we have to do. If we could live our lives in a purely free way, our lives would and could look very different.

We could spend more time with our friends and family, pets, in our gardens, playing sports, going travelling, camping, relaxing at the beach are just a few examples. Fun things do not have to cost a lot of money, it is more about having the available free time. Perhaps also just having time to rest and make the most of the beauty we have around us. Most people I know rush from one thing to the next rarely taking a breath to enjoy the simple things in life.

Life, you are such a conundrum!

Feelings of entrapment are high for me right now. I do love my new place and in time to come I know I will get my head around my finances. Ideally in the future owning property may also give me more of the freedom I desire.

When we have had such a real experience with death, it makes us analyse life so much more. We all only have such a finite time here on this planet, what will you do to make the most of your time?

Anita xx