I may have gained a little insight into the Trade Deficit.
It’s been rainy for the past few days, and while I have all sorts of work to do suitable for such occasions, why would I deal with real challenges when I can dork around with mindless projects.
There is a line in a not so famous song that sums it up:
I always have too much going on,
And I’ve left a trail of things that are half done.
And there you have it.
So instead of staying focused on any number of half-done projects I have in the house, garage, barn, shed, or studio, I chose to rearrange my closet and relocate my winter stuff.
A noble intention!
As I was pondering the ridiculous number of vests I had in my closet, I realized I was looking at a manifestation of the trade deficit. But first, let’s talk about the vest situation.
I love a vest in the fall, spring, and winter! Who doesn’t? If it's a little chilly, maybe it will be just fine all by itself. If it’s cold, you can layer a vest under a shell, preferably a rainproof shell. (I could easily drift off topic and spin off in a related direction of how many rain shells I have, which actually tallies more than the vests.) If it is truly frigid, I might choose to wear a vest under a heavy coat. Point made, you've got to love a vest.
My oldest vest is a vintage number. Yepper, a heavy duty down vest from Cabela’s that my mom got me for Christmas in 1987. I replaced the zipper pull, but other than that, it’s in great shape. Then the collection descends into a couple slim fitting tech vests and a host of fleece, including three Patagonia “better sweater” vests.
There was a certain feeling of absurdity over taking me as I counted nine of these garments hanging in the closet, and then it struck me… this was a manifestation of the trade deficit.
I’m not sure about the Cabela’s vest, but all of the others were imports and I am sure any of my societal counterparts in China, Vietnam, or Korea did not have nine vests hanging in their closets.
I would also be very surprised if there is anything comparable to a Dollar General in China that is chockablock full of American-made products destined for the landfill.
We are an affluent nation, and we have grown accustomed to a relatively lavish lifestyle.
It is easy to forget about our opulence.
I know that when I got that vest for Christmas, I would never have imagined that somewhere in the future I would have a vest wardrobe, and to be perfectly honest, I don’t need all of these. But then again, I don’t need a lot of what I have. I could argue that I literally have too much of everything.
And now I need to figure out the appropriate way to change that.
But first I have to deal with fly rods and guitars.
Who knows, next I might get an insight into why we have nuclear weapons?