Getting Your Money’s Worth
Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash
Last Winter, I picked up snowboarding again. After I brushed off my old board, which was collecting dust in the attic, I hit the slopes for the first time in over 15 years. It was like riding a bike. I immediately remembered the thrill of going down the mountain, but I also was very aware that I was significantly older and therefore at greater risk for lasting injury. At first, it was hard to let myself take it easy. I had it engrained in me that lift tickets were not cheap and so I should be getting up at the crack of dawn to make it to the lift right when it opens. I should be spending every moment on the mountain that I could.
This feeling stems from a we gotta get our money's worth mentality, but the more I thought about it I realized that getting my money's worth should be about quality not quantity.
Just because you can snowboard all day, doesn’t mean you have to and doesn’t mean you should.
What I actually wanted was to enjoy myself. I wanted to feel the cold air on my face, take in the beautiful views, and soak up a few good runs. I didn’t need to wring every last minute out of the lift ticket like I was squeezing toothpaste from an almost‑empty tube.
Somewhere along the way, many of us internalized this idea that value comes from endurance. From maximizing. From staying until the lights turn off. But the older I get, the more I realize that value comes from intention, which means choosing the moments that matter and letting the rest go.
A half‑day on the mountain where I’m laughing, relaxed, and fully present is worth infinitely more than eight hours of white‑knuckling it because I’m afraid of “wasting” something. And this idea applies far beyond snowboarding.
We don’t need to finish every book we start. We don’t need to say yes to every invitation. We don’t need to fill every hour of the day to prove something to ourselves or anyone else.
Sometimes the real luxury - the real “money’s worth” - is giving yourself permission to stop while it’s still good. To choose joy over obligation. Presence over pressure. Quality over quantity. You don’t have to use it all to get what you came for.
