My brother in law loves to tell this story: When his father
was in his early 90’s he went out and bought an expensive piece of exercise equipment.
Given his father’s age, it most definitely was a bold move. But the bold move got even bolder when the 90-something year old
opted to buy the non-transferable lifetime warranty.
And that is what flashed into my mind as I stood in Home
Depot deliberating over the purchase of light bulbs I was charged with buying for
my 84 year old mother. The package of new-fangled bulbs priced at $19.99 each claimed
that they (the bulbs) had a life expectancy
of 22 years with normal usage.
Justification of the expenditure of the bulb(s) would not
only require my mother to live until she was 106 years old; it would require
that she live to be 106 and still be dwelling in her 3rd floor walk-up
co-operative apartment.
I had to wonder how this
scenario was likely going to play out.
Ultimately, I opted for the purchase.
Because light bulbs
are transferable, and life expectancy is never guaranteed---either for a human or a $20 light bulb.
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