Why Does Chris Have Two of Everything?

"Why does Chris have two of everything?"

That was the question asked by a 13-year-old after witnessing my two vehicles. I had a fancy SUV for when I needed to look professional and a rugged SUV for when I wanted to be a little more blue collar. When I bought the fancy one, I ran through the if-then-but calculus to determine the most compatible vehicle and to minimize the downside of any decision. Both vehicles were needed to satisfy different situations — or so I thought. The reality was that it mostly never mattered, and I just grabbed whichever one I felt like on any given day.

Four Bikes, Four Problems

I have four bicycles: a Road, Mountain, Beach Cruiser, and a Hybrid. In full disclosure, I obtained these through a variety of legitimate and legal ways, which allowed the collection to grow to its current size. Still, four bicycles used in four different scenarios require four types of maintenance and four different clothing ensembles. The headspace required to manage it all is four times what it should be — same as it was with the cars.

Here's the sad part: I haven't pedaled any of my bicycles in at least a month. But what if? What if I was invited on a gravel ride at the preserve up the road? Unfortunately, I don't have a gravel bike, so even with the abundance of four machines, I'm still unprepared — or at least at some perceived disadvantage.

More Stuff, More Compromise

Redundancy is important in a lot of situations, but mostly not. Having many of a thing means every decision becomes a compromise of some sort.

The question from a 13-year-old made me think, and honestly, as a smart guy, I don't have a good answer. What I can say is that I carry a lot of anxiety as a result of having duplicates. I really believe that abundance can be convenient in the short term and immensely stressful in the long term — not to mention wasteful and resource intensive.

The Breaking Point

I reached a sort of enlightenment and breaking point at the same time after listening to Jesse Itzler talk about how to make 2024 a great year. What I realized was that I am extremely heavy in possessions and obligations. Jesse encouraged "getting light" by offloading that which no longer serves you. Just the number of sets of keys I had was enough to break my spirit.

When You Have a Backup, Nothing Matters

When we have duplicates, the singular becomes less important. It's less important to know where something is if you can simply rely on another one nearby. I made sure I had a set of prescription sunglasses in each car, just in case. That backup cost me about $200 — just so I wouldn't be unprepared.

It took a month, but I'm happier now. I have one car key and one backup for emergencies. That's how it was when I was growing up. I'm better now.