What is "Prosperity"?

Prosperity is commonly associated with vast amounts of money. Wealth.

To me, it is much more than that.

Prosperity is freedom. Freedom to make choices. Freedom to live where you want, when you want. Freedom to act. Freedom from debt. Freedom from regret.

Of course for most people, to achieve the above mentioned freedoms, money is the key ingredient.

My goals are pretty simple, I think. I hope to eventually live a debt free life, beholden to nobody else to provide for our incomes (ie, working for someone else). I'd like to continue living in Chicago, but have a winter residence someplace warm near water. Ideally, I would have several residences, but lets not get ahead of ourselves....

An experience I've been wanting to have for some time now, is to rent a Winnebago and travel around North America for an entire summer. No schedule. No route. No plan. Ideally, I'd hit the road with a few friends. We'd wake up in the morning, look at a map, figure out what looks interesting within a 4-5 hour drive, then set off. We'd arrive in our new destination around lunchtime and we'd spend the entire day in whatever location it is, experiencing whatever it is to experience. If we like it, perhaps we'll stay a second day. Whatever. We have no plan. No schedule. The beauty of my job is I can do it from anywhere. A laptop computer and a wireless internet connection is all that's required. Who wants to join me?

P.S. Today is inauguration day for President Barack Obama. People are celebrating like we just won World War II all over again. It is indeed an exciting time for people in America, if they are willing to, in fact, change their behaviors. But if I put a nickel in a basket every time a politician made a promise to America for "change" or "transparency" or "bipartisanship" or "equal opportunity for all" or "equal access" or "affordable health care" or "fiscal responsibility" or "corporate governance" or "world peace," my basket would have been upgraded to a dumpster, and it'd be overflowing.

I can't help but worry that once the buzz wears off from America's new Celebrity Metrosexual President, that the Prosperity that America expects (and the one I hope for personally) isn't even further away than it is now.

Naturally, as an American, I wish Obama well. I hope he succeeds in his noble goals without sacrificing our security and our future as a nation. And as an ideal.

Barack, you've come a long way since you and I used to trade turns on the bench press machine at East Bank Club. Good luck.