Life can hit hard at times!

[Kiddodoc]

Hello fellow TRFr’s. I have enjoyed this forum for a long time and have collected a good sized collection. I have always enjoyed my watches but I just found out one of my good friends in college passed away. I am 57 now and this really hit me hard and got me thinking maybe it is time to greatly reduce my collection and focus more on living life and worrying less about things that in the grand scheme of things matter very little. Sorry for this dark post and maybe it is just me overthinking things. I do not need the money I have spent on my collection but maybe a simpler life might be in order. I still have several watches I would never sell to pass down to my son. Thanks for hearing me out.

[Kyle3130]

Sorry for your loss, you've got the right mindset.

[DESH]

sorry for your loss rick!

Do whatever makes you happy- We are here for ya!

[CarlOver]

If your watches are distracting you from having a balanced life then it might be a good move. Sorry for the loss of your friend.

[TswaneNguni]

In our line of work ,we know how short live can be .

I have wasted so many years of my life with after hours work ,weekend calls ...

August to December 2021 I was two weekends off.Crazy

From 2022 decided things will change.Less after hours work and more weekends off .

I am turning 54 this year.Enough of this work,work work sh#t !!!

Sorry,for the loss of your friend .We can all learn from this.

[Seddyspaghetti]

Sorry for your loss

[Geckobros]

I can empathize. It's been a rough two years for me as well. Keep on truckin' amigo.

[StanGMT]

Very sorry to hear of your loss, Rick. Losing someone close, especially when they are a contemporary, brings home just how short and fragile life is and it does make us focus on what is important to us. We are all unique and we all react differently to these situations - you must go with your heart.

Stan.

[Robf52]

Sorry for the loss of your friend.

[6XYBE63ST]

Quote from the internet,

People also ask
What does get busy living or get busy dying meaning?
“Get busy living or get busy dying.” You have 86,400 seconds each day, and it's your choice what you do with them. It's your choice to just keep living the life that just gets you by. Or, it's your choice to finally break out and take those chances that you've always dreamed about.Feb 1, 2019.

[bronxbombers42]

Sorry to hear that Rick. A similar thought has crept in to my mind multiple times, especially when hardship hits. As another commenter said, if the watches are distracting you from living a life that you feel could be more meaningful, then you have your answer and maybe it's worth a shot. At the end of the day, they are material objects and can be replaced.

[Cloudchaser]

Condolences on the loss of your friend. Find a picture of them smiling and give yourself proper time and space to mourn!

[SwissTimeNow]

Sorry for your loss. Enjoy life with your family and never look back. Those memories will be remembered forever.

[jaySL350]

Sorry for the loss of your friend Rick,,,
Condolences,,,,,,

[Mendota]

I am very sorry for your loss. I turn 50 in April and although I haven't lost any close friends yet, I have lost multiple classmates over these last 30 years, some of whom I was more acquaintances with, but others were childhood friends from a different era and we had moved on with different life paths and lost touch over the years. It was still sad to learn the news that someone you once knew is no longer with us. Any loss of life makes you really think about the importance of family and just what are we doing here. One childhood classmate that I had lost touch with had been messaging with me about something kid related and we hadn't talked in well over 20 years at that point. We caught up a little bit over this mundane subject and then literally a day later his new wife posted that she was heartbroken to share that he had passed away during his sleep. I couldn't believe it. We were literally just messaging about Cake Pop kits for the little kiddos, of all things... I was glad that I had gotten a chance to reconnect with him. Ironically, my wife had blown up a poster sized photo of me for a birthday party we had and in the photo, this kid is standing right next to me. I look at that photo differently now when it comes out. Nice kid.

Anyway, losing a close friend is like losing family. My sincerest condolences to you.

[ArtNouveau]

Sorry for your loss. I am older than you and just retired last May. We are at an age where we start losing friends and it hurts.
I have also re-evaluated this whole watch thing. I enjoy the watches I have and the camaraderie I experience here(at least from most members)but my desire to keep buying is waning. They’re just trinkets and I already have more than anyone needs. Focus on what really matters.

[dtwer]

OP, yours is not a dark post. it just shows you have reach a point in your life where you final know what is truly important in life, congratulations.

In the end, the difference between the have and have-not is really not the physical possessions, but the mindset. As Epictetus says, "wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants."

Enjoy the newfound wealth and freedom of mind.

[brandrea]

Sorry for your loss Rick, he was far too young.

We went through a similar process years ago. We decided to downsize our home and made a conscious effort to reduce the “stuff” in our lives and simplify. Couldn’t be happier.

Best of luck to you, and again, sorry to hear about your friend.

[toomuchtalk]

sorry to hear that/

[m j b]

Good post Rick, thanks for sharing. My condolences. I've lost coworkers, my wife lost both parents in the past 3 months, but I've been fortunate that the few friends I've lost were ones that had drifted away, but still, it always makes you sit up and take stock.

Watches, although fun to collect, are just stuff. Stuff is meaningless, really. Lately I've been buying Steinhart watches (around $600) and I get the same enjoyment out of them as I did a $10K Rolex. More in fact, since I have no illusions about their future value, I don't worry about keeping them insured, having them stolen or damaged, etc. Plus I get a little kick from knowing how much money I didn't spend, that I can waste frivolously on another car. LOL

[DJ2020]

Sorry for your loss. I have done the same thing with friends passing away, health issues that have risen recently has me rethinking to make things simpler. I was a one or two watch person for most of my life. Started collecting more and more until I had dozens of watches and found owning that many that I was loosing touch of the feeling that started it in the first place.

As such I gifted many to relatives and sold/traded to get back to just 3. 3 is my magic number to wear and truly enjoy what I have. Then focus my attention on other things. Could not be happier.

[fnfiveseven]

My condolences OP. I am in a very similar situation myself but did the exact opposite to you.

I have always been on the fence about buying PM models justifying the cost. I am not rich by all means and I decided to enjoy life a little and stop saving/investing so much and actually spend on a PM watch which I really wanted. I have been saving/investing since my early 20's.

My cousin who is 38 years young has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and does not know how long she will live leaving behind her husband who is one of my best friends and 2 young boys who hardly know what is going on.

Life comes at you fast so enjoy it!

[bp1000]

I'm sorry for your loss Rick.

I lost a friend to Malaria when I was early 20's after a trip to Thailand. It hit me very hard as did the freak accident and death of an old school friend a few years ago, I'm now in my 30's.

I found out just 2 months ago an ex died of cancer and if anything is a reminder of how much you should enjoy and live your life, then these things are that and a timex or Casio is perfectly adequate for the adventures you plan for yourself.

1 watch with sentimental value is all you need on your journey and I hope you find that.

[scarlet knight]

Sorry for your loss. We are in our sixties. We’ve lost friends, we have friends with serious diseases, friend who divorced who were long married. Looking forward to the hopeful end of the pandemic, so we can resume our world tour. We always say you don’t know how many chances you get to travel. I feel similarly about ny overstaffed watch collection.

[Pw92676]

Sorry to hear this.

[Yas.2k]

Hit us up kiddodoc if you need an ear to talk to.

[alphadweller]

Sorry to hear, my condolences on your loss. Re-focusing on what really matters can only do you good.

[skipstar]

Sorry for your loss

[DaninFlorida]

Originally Posted by kiddodoc

Hello fellow TRFr’s. I have enjoyed this forum for a long time and have collected a good sized collection. I have always enjoyed my watches but I just found out one of my good friends in college passed away. I am 57 now and this really hit me hard and got me thinking maybe it is time to greatly reduce my collection and focus more on living life and worrying less about things that in the grand scheme of things matter very little. Sorry for this dark post and maybe it is just me overthinking things. I do not need the money I have spent on my collection but maybe a simpler life might be in order. I still have several watches I would never sell to pass down to my son. Thanks for hearing me out.

i get it. for me, i bought a tudor this year but im not really looking to buy more watches in the near future. decided a couple of years ago that i would rather spend my money on vacations/etc with my kids. when im on my deathbed, wont be thinking about any watches i didnt buy, but i am sure i will be thinking about the fun times and places we went. and im sure the kids will as well.

[Avs Fan]

Sorry for your loss. Having experienced loss too, it's important for watches (or any other hobby/ distraction) to simply be a joyful part of life, not the dominant factor.