Those who read the title of this blog post and hoped to be dazzled with the story of how the 18-year-old version of yours truly learned to do splits for the sake of the game of baseball are going to be sorely disappointed.

There will be no tales of how a young man who was dedicated to improving his craft as a 1st baseman practiced stretching day in and day out for several months. There will be no explanation as to how being able to stretch farther enabled him to catch baseballs thrown to him milliseconds sooner, and how those milliseconds helped his team win ballgames. There will be no description of the “oooohs” and “ahhhhs” his exhibits solicited from the baseball-viewing crowds.

No, there will be none of that.

This is a blog post about how I value — nay, demand — flexibility in my life. I like to have options. I like knowing that I can react to the things life may throw at me without the burden of being tied down.

The gym of which I’m a member wasn’t chosen because it had the best selection of equipment. It wasn’t chosen because it was the least expensive. It wasn’t chosen because it was closest to my home. No, it was chosen because I did not have to sign a contract. There was no long-term commitment. I am month to month, and if a better gym option ever comes along I can pounce on it without penalty.

The same is true with my cell phone carrier. My family used AT&T, so I used AT&T. Two years ago, when my contract expired, I didn’t renew. Sure, I kept AT&T as my provider, but I didn’t sign another contract. I am a month-to-month customer. If a better deal ever comes along, I can leave AT&T without having to pay a fine for breaking my contract.

And then there is the little matter of my lodging.

One year ago this month, I moved into a nice little rental home with a swimming pool. It had a nice lawn, a nice screened-in porch, and a nice, long, 12-month contract.

I didn’t like committing myself to a contract for that long, but I gambled that I would not need to relocate from the area within that length of time. Besides, as a friend told me, 12 months isn’t that long in the grand scheme of things.

So, I signed the lease. I correctly gambled that no life-changing event would happen that caused me to regret such a decision. I completed the 12 months and now have a deja-vu dilemma on my hands:

“Do I sign a new long-term lease, or no?”

A week ago, my landlord mailed me a new lease contract to sign and return. It was exactly the same as the one I signed last year. Same rent, same stipulations, same 12-month term.

I contacted my landlord this morning and told her I would not be signing it.

Last May, while looking for a new place, I dubbed my future home “Fort Awesome.” (Click to enlarge)

No, I’m not moving. I’m staying put. However, I am choosing an undeniably non-frugal path for the sake of obtaining the ultimate in flexibility.

Under the terms of the lease I signed last year, if it lapses without either party (me or my landlord) choosing to terminate it, it is renewed on a month-to-month basis. Every term of the lease remains the same, and I have the ability to cancel the lease without penalty at any time by giving a 30-day notice.

The only catch is my rent increases by 10%.

So, for an extra 10% each month, which I can afford, I gain the flexibility of being able to pick up and move at any time — either across the street or across the country.

There is no other downside, as far as I can tell. My landlord can terminate the month-to-month lease by giving a 60-day notice. But she can terminate ANY lease — month to month, 6 months, 12 months or 12 years — by giving a 60-day notice.

In short, I’m swapping a little extra dough in exchange for freedom.

Why is flexibility so important to me? I don’t know any other way to answer than, “it just is.”

I don’t know where my life will be six, twelve or two hundred months from now. I am a single guy with no ties to the area other than family, but I hope/pray/know that will not always be the case.

I am a proactive person. I view life as a game of chess, so it behooves me to look ahead into the distance. Do I know what my future holds? No, but I know there is the possibility I could get to a place where contracts and commitments could make moving on to the next stage in my life harder than it needs to be.

My future could be here, in this town, for decades to come.

Or it could be somewhere else.

It’s for this latter reason I am willing to sacrifice my precious frugality for flexibility. When God taps me on the shoulder and presents to me a situation I should jump at, I want to be able to jump without anything holding me down.

And, to me, that’s worth a less-than-stellar gym and an extra 10% per month in rent.

What can I say? I’m unusual. And if this story didn’t convince most of you of this fact, go reread my introduction about doing splits!