Buying it NOW

Moving Back to Jamaica has meant giving up a finely honed sense of needing to buy something NOW.

When I travel back to the U.S. I am blown away by how often the message is beamed at me to "BUY NOW, OR ELSE."

It is a steady drum-beat that fills the ear, and something I never noticed before leaving to live in Jamaica.  It seemed comforting to know that I could need something, and within thirty minutes I could satisfy the urge to possess it with a short trip to a mega store of some kind.

Here in Jamaica, however, things don't quite work like that.

Instead, there is an instant realization that the thing that's wanted is probably not available on  the island, and if it is available then a premium will be paid for it.  This gives one pause for thought.

If the decision is affirmative, then I have to deal with the difficulty of buying it in Kingston -- traffic, stock-outs and poor service.  If it must be ordered from abroad, there is the 2-3 week delay that must be endured, plus the capricious customs duties and shipping fees that must be added on top.

This all takes away that rush I would feel to acquire that gadget quickly, and lends itself to a lot more "sleeping on it."

Unfortunately, I am now "sleeping on" quite a few purchase decisions.  For my cycling alone, I need a helmet, pair of shorts, speedometer, MTB shoes, tire and new bottom bracket.

(Looks like my Christmas list has been decided, actually!)

So, I don't miss the rush of needing and buying something immediately.  I now find it a plus to not be able to give in to that feeling -- a plus to being back home in Jamaica