Should I buy something expensive just because I have always wanted it?

A long-standing wish deserves curiosity, but its age does not automatically make it an obligation. You may still want the object itself. You may also feel protective of the younger person who imagined finally being able to have it.

Buying can then become a promise kept to yourself. That can be meaningful. But so can discovering that your life has changed and the old wish no longer describes what would please you. Letting it go need not mean betraying who you were.

Imagine using the thing after the first excitement, when it is no longer evidence of a milestone. Does that ordinary relationship appeal to you? Consider its full place in your circumstances, including upkeep, space and what you would forgo. If it fits, you need not invent a profound reason for enjoying it. If it does not, your earlier longing can remain part of your story without being granted permanent authority over your money.

A wish can remain with us long after the life around it has changed. Sometimes this gives it depth; sometimes it simply means we have never asked it another question.

Try encountering the object as it is now, rather than only as it appeared when it was out of reach. What would owning it require? Would you use it? Does it support something that matters today? You may still decide yes, and a clear yes can include pleasure without pretending the purchase is necessary.

Jing attends to the younger person who wanted it. I would also attend to the people and commitments in your current life. An old dream does not exempt a shared decision from discussion. Nor does a shared life mean that all personal wishes must disappear. Give the wish a real hearing in present circumstances. It may be welcome as a guest without being installed as the head of the household.

The object has been waiting twenty years and would like to know when you intend to honour its appointment. It has kept excellent records of every shop window you stopped beside.

I recommend asking it to submit an updated application. Your childhood wanted many things with impressive conviction. A pet dragon may once have ranked above a reliable washing machine. We cannot allow the entire original committee to approve purchases unsupervised.

Jang suggests meeting the object as it is now. This is particularly important if it has spent the last two decades photographed on a pedestal while avoiding questions about storage, repairs and whether it fits through your door.

Should it pass the interview, congratulations. Should it fail, thank it for its longstanding service to your imagination. There is no need to award it a pension. It can retire to the same pleasant district where the dragon now keeps the dream of becoming a professional pirate company.