CARLTON FLETCHER: It’s sometimes hard to move forward with nothing to look back on

What’s this life for?

— Creed

I’ve never worried about saving anything for a rainy day because I’ve never had anything to save. What’s that old saying about “too much month left at the end of my money”?

But I’ve met people along the way who were as … let’s say “frugal,” since “cheap” is such a harsh term … by choice as I’ve always been out of necessity. Surely you know the type, the ones who hold onto every penny as if it might be their last.

I’m certainly nobody’s financial advisor (see above) but I’ve been thinking a lot lately about these folks who hold onto their money as if spending even a little of it would cause them to combust. And while their bank account would no doubt eclipse mine by tons, I can’t help but feel a little sorry for them.

Sure, these folks save all their money and have enough to do anything they want with it, but their years and decades sometimes of building their “war chest” have made them unlikely — maybe even unable — to spend any of their money on anything but bills and necessities.

And I think that’s a shame.

There’s this Biblical admonition about not “storing up treasures” in this world as we prepare for the next one, and that’s a good starting place. But the question I have to ask folks who are afraid to part with any of their treasure is … why? Why do you refuse to enjoy the fruits of your labor? Are you trying to leave a good inheritance or living by that old saying of whoever has the most money at the end of the game wins?

(Another thing I’ve noticed about folks like this: While people who are managing to scrape by are likely to give to help others, many people with the capacity to do so refuse. Odd that.)

The purpose of this missive is not, in any way, to disparage the people who are saving all their income for some pending calamity or for a nest egg that they can enjoy when they’re older. But to them, I’d like to say, “Live a little! Enjoy yourself! Take the wraps off the purse strings and do some of those things you always told yourself you’d do ‘when the time was right.’ The time is right … now. Who knows what tomorrow brings … will you be able to do all those ‘retirement things’ you envisioned doing when you started socking all that money away, will you still have the energy?”

While Dylan may very well have been describing me when he sang “Papa’s bank book wasn’t thick enough,” I have always managed to enjoy the things in this life that make me happy. There were times when I didn’t have the money necessary, but if there was something I wanted to do, buy or enjoy, I saved enough to do it.

I put away all the money I made doing odd jobs and chores when I was younger to buy the latest albums by the musicians I enjoyed. I saved back from my paycheck so that I could make a down payment on a first-of-its-kind second-generation Mustang Cobra. I saved enough money to buy the materials to build my first home. I’ve attended multiple Braves and Falcons games. I’ve spent weeks at the beach. I went to Woodstock. I got to see Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney, Jackson Browne, Eminem, Metallica, Tool, The Eagles, Jethro Tull, Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine, George Jones, James Brown, David Bowie … literally hundreds of concerts.

And this week — God willing — I’m going to see Elton John’s “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour.

I know many people spend their lives looking forward to things. That’s admirable. But there’s absolutely nothing wrong with looking back, either. Remembering our past is often what gets us through some particularly hard times. It’s a sad person indeed who has no such memories to recall.