Opportunity cost

Opportunity cost is what is given up or "lost" in order to get something else. Life if full of decisions, big and small, all of which have opportunity costs.

I learned the other day of M.'s death. We met when she joined my van pool, and because we lived along the same road, we car pooled to the van pool.

She was a vegetarian. She grew organic vegetables, practiced yoga, and swam laps several times a week. She was very health and diet conscious.

She was also a saver, using the belt and suspenders approach to retirement planning.

She sought stress relief in massage and walks in the woods. She loved garden walks and finding farms to buy produce directly from.  She grew heirloom tomatoes without pesticides, and carefully searched for the "right" variety of plant. 

She disliked her job at the end. There were a variety of reasons, all valid, and none due to her choices.

She died a year and 3 months after she retired. She had planned for the maximum pay out, passed up at least two opportunities for an early buy out, reluctantly left on an increased multiplier, and kept her sick and annual leave time at the maximum pay out amounts--and worked until the last possible day allowable under the agreement.

Sadly she did not live long enough to even see all of the pay out of the time she hoarded. Taken too soon by a rare cancer that was diagnosed shortly after her last day at work.

So in everything there is opportunity cost.

Would it have made a difference? We will never know if a different choice may have had different results. She seemed to be doing everything right, but death does not respect ones plans.

I have thought of her often. She was a good person. The world was a better place because she was here. It is sad that she did not get to enjoy the retirement she had so carefully planned for.

But maybe it was her planning that brought her joy. We can never know if the opportunity cost was worth it for someone else.