Second-Guessing a Splurge

https://www.wssymphony.org

Yo Yo Ma is coming to Winston. And I will be there. 






Tickets aren't going on sale to the general public until August.  I imagined myself sitting up all night in a lawn chair, part of long line waiting for the box office to open. What if they sold out before I got to the front of the line? What if I was forced to buy from a scalper at super-bowl-of-music prices? 

I couldn't rest until I found a way to obtain tickets now. 

The only way to purchase early was to buy 2014-2015 season tickets. It's a perk (perquisite) for subscribers. The morning after the newspaper announcement I called the symphony offices. I quit breathing for just a moment when I heard the total cost. Would I splurge, or berate myself forever for being stingy?  I forged ahead.  I secured two coveted seats for the special Ma concert, and twelve more during the regular season.

Frugality immediately lobbed pleasure-seeking missiles at my excitement. Prudence ambushed from the rear and set me second-guessing. 

Was it a splurge or was it decadent? They both indicate luxurious indulgence. The nuances differ however. The former, (thought to be derived from a blend of splash and surge),  suggests an isolated event. Repeated splurging denotes decadence. 

I used the following reasoning as a counter-terrorism measure:

1. Was this a rare expenditure or part of a pattern? Rare as a pink diamond.

2. Did I shirk any responsibility or have to borrow money?  No. Besides, I earn travel miles on my credit card.

3. Additionally, I spent that much on the recent heating bill which caused excitement--but the negative kind that starts with disbelief and ends with swearing.

4. Seven nights with the symphony would be far more fun than replacing the deceased dishwasher, and I didn't think twice about that. 

5. Compared to the $75K peacock feather coat or a $40K necklace advertised in the Wall Street Journal, my purchase was a trifle, a bargain!   

The arguments routed self-reproach. Reason shot down shame.

Shaking off the dust from the skirmish, I emerged a patron of the arts.


* see my January 16th post.