Sitting around watching MTV while eating Totino’s Party Pizzas together with my friends on a rainy afternoon was my idea of “making it,” so why change anything?”
In his book, The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music, Dave Grohl describes how, after he supposedly “made it” with Nirvana and had some extra money, he didn’t feel like changing anything.
“At the height of Nirvana’s success, I was still living in a tiny room with only a dresser, a night table, and a futon mattress on the floor, […] I felt no desire to go out and take advantage of my expanding bank account because I felt perfectly comfortable with the way things were. I never had much, so I never needed much, and this living arrangement felt perfectly natural. But, beyond anything, it was fun. Sitting around watching MTV while eating Totino’s Party Pizzas together with my friends on a rainy afternoon was my idea of “making it,” so why change anything?”
Although I’ve definitely lived a very privileged life, and I don’t live in a tiny room with a futon, I’ve also gotten rid of most of my belongings twice as part of international moves, and I resonate with the idea that simple is best, money won’t buy you happiness, and everything is relative to what you are used to.
Our culture is obsessed with achievement and growth, which many measure by the number of fancy things they have when really it should be measured by the fun you have each day. The number of friends you talk to regularly. How you feel.
I’m trying to be mindful not to move the goalposts.
Comments welcome!