Last year, I wrote about some of the challenges I have faced since I paid off my mortgage in August 2022. I likened myself to Lightning McQueen at the start of Cars. For years I had put off major improvements to my home, such as reroofing, fixing old gutters, and replacing old appliances.

Paying off my mortgage didn’t make me rich. Over the past year and a half, I have had a number of expensive issues come up, and I began to worry that I was doing something wrong. I thought that I was doing a lot of things right, so why did things keep going wrong?

My Wise Wife

I brought this up with my wife recently, telling her that we haven’t been able to make the financial progress I would like to make now that we don’t have such a heavy burden weighing us down. I suppose, in that moment, I was a lot like Peter Parker in Spider-Man 2 when he stands alone in his miserable, rundown apartment staring out at the city of New York wondering aloud, “Am I not supposed to have what I want – what I need? What am I supposed to do?”

Thankfully, my wise wife was there to share some precious pearls of wisdom that gave me a new perspective.

She noted that paying off our mortgage was a huge expense, not simply a weight off our shoulders. We had to spend a monstrous sum at the end to wipe away that debt 21 years early. I have gotten so used to paying for everything upfront that I had forgotten that this is how most people live their lives, paying for previous purchases on credit with current cash.

It took me nine years to save up enough money (on a modest salary) to buy my house outright. Why should I think that I could get back to the level of savings I had in just a year and a half? It will take a bit more time to return to a comfortable position, yet my life is not devoid of miracles in the meantime. I have much to be grateful for.

A New Perspective

Her words helped me see that things are not really all that bad for us. We have more than a six-month emergency fund in place. We’ve weathered a number of storms, and we’re now better able to handle problems that arise. New situations are always scary at first, but they lose their sting as we handle them calmly and grow as a result of them.

I feel very blessed to have the life and family that I do. They’re not always easy to maintain, but I trust that I’m doing okay. Peter Parker didn’t need to change very much about himself in order to be happy. He just needed some acknowledgement of his efforts from the people he cared about. My wife assured me that she appreciates all that I do for her, and she isn’t afraid of the future.

Whatever major expense comes next, I trust we’ll be ready for it because I am supposed to have what I want and need, which is stability and humility. Unpredictable things will continue to come, but I’ll strive to build on the immovable Rock. Let the rainstorms come and beat on my house all they like.

This is the Deja Reviewer bidding you farewell until we meet again.

The movie clip is the copyright of its owner.

Want to Support the Deja Reviewer?

If you’d like to support the Deja Reviewer, please consider donating a few dollars to keep this site going strong. I’ll even send you an original joke if you do! Try it, and prepare to enjoy a good chuckle.

$5.00