Providing more answers

Continuing the address the queries posed in Ask Me Anything!, I received this one via e-mail from a longtime reader who prefers to remain anonymous:

"Imagine that you’ve just inherited $20 million free and clear, but you only have 10 years to live. What would you do differently? Specifically, what would you stop doing?"

I'd buy a house, establish a savings account for The Daughter's college and for the comfort of the entire Family Unit once my ten years are up. What would I do differently? I'm not sure. Knowing that I had the financial ability to do mostly whatever I wanted for the time I know I have left on the planet, I'd do pretty much precisely that. I'd spend my time writing, reading, teaching myself woodworking, and being with the family.

What would I stop doing? What others want me to do, except on my terms. While the prospect of ten, and only ten, years left to live would be somewhat of a downer, I have to think that in some ways it would be incredibly liberating. Time would be both removed as a factor in life in some ways, and pushed to the forefront of all factors in other ways, wouldn't it? The impulse to waste time would become my greatest enemy.

My most important thing would be getting some stuff written. It's easier to waste time when you have no idea how much you have, isn't it?

Paul asks this:

What, if anything would prompt you to cut your hair and shave your beard?

A cancer diagnosis might do the trick. Or an offer of a huge sum of money, provided that I'm allowed to let it grow right back. If it's "A hundred million bucks but you have to pay it back if your hair is ever longer than one inch again", then I'm saying, "Yeah, thanks but no thanks."

I suppose it's conceivable that I might someday decide I want to have short hair and be clean shaven again, but for now, I have no desire whatsoever to go that route. So here I am, happily hirsute.

(Now, obviously, if The Company was to adopt new appearance standards that mandated short hair and no facial hair, then that's that. Luckily, I don't see that happening.)

More to come!