That’s the word right?  Posh.

Anyway, for some reason I’m being rewarded for procrastination.  Or maybe for remaining flexible.

Yes, saying I’m remaining flexible feels better than admitting it was mostly procrastination.

I’m sitting in the first-class lounge of the King’s cross station with free wifi, breakfast (of the croissant and coffee sort, not the heartier Full-English-type) and my first-class ricket was 1/3 the price of a second-class ticket.

Why?  Presumably because everyone else wanted to save money with the second-class tickets, thereby creating more demand!

What a wonderful quirk of Capitalism!  People’s desire drives demand, which in turn drives price- regardless of the comparative offer of what’s being offered.

This is the same principle we see in a child who doesn’t care about a toy until their sibling wants to play with said toy.

And here I am… a beneficiary of the system!

This just one example.  Yesterday, I was able to enjoy a cake-laden afternoon tea on a boardwalk restaurant with friends because we woke up late, left hungry and had to eat right away or risk grumpiness.

For some reason, possibly because the early birds all got worms, we late birds were rewarded with Cake!

In reality of course, we’re not being rewarded for our lassitude.  We’re being rewarded for being flexible in our desires.  Being open to what life brings instead of too focused on the specifics of the results can sometimes lead to better outcomes than pushing through and forcing what you think is the best option.

In addition, we’re being rewarded for being observant.  In the case of my train tickets, if I had simply taken it on faith that first-class tickets are more expensive than second-class, I wouldn’t have been ready for the opportunities around me.  As a result, it would’ve cost me twice as much to get the same distance.

In this case unexpected cake and free breakfast.

Of course, the opulence of the surroundings compared to the second-class options available and the “feeling of beating the system” are a lot of what made the whole affair feel posh.

It was a bit like going to Pinocchio’s Pleasure Island, but instead of turning yourself into an ass, you’re rewarded for skipping school with a well-paying job and friends you can count on.*

What opportunities have you missed because you were so focused on your original stated goal, that you missed what the world was offering?

 

*Skipping school has not been shown to increase the chances of getting a job or friends in any meaningful way that could not be more simply explained by outside factors.