Martha Stewart was recently asked what she still wants from life.
At 85, after building one of the most recognisable lifestyle empires in the world, becoming America’s first self-made female billionaire, going to prison, rebuilding her career, becoming a Sports Illustrated cover star and generally refusing to become less interesting with age, her answer was surprisingly simple.
She wants to be comfortable. She wants her family to be comfortable. She wants a roof over her head.
And she wants a yacht.
“A big yacht.”
Lol.
I love this so much.
Partly because it is just so magnificently Martha. Of course the woman who taught generations of people how to fold a fitted sheet doesn’t merely want peace and security in her twilight years. She would also quite like to be drinking something cold off the coast of Capri on a very large boat.
But mostly I love the complete absence of apology in it.
We’ve become very good at dressing our desires up as more respectable things.
We don’t want money, we want financial freedom.
We don’t want a beautiful house, we want a sanctuary for our family.
We don’t want success, we want impact and purpose.
We don’t want to be hot, we want to feel our best.
We don’t want to be famous, we want a platform to amplify meaningful ideas.
And look, sometimes those things are completely true.
But sometimes you just want the fucking yacht.
There’s something incredibly refreshing about someone - particularly a woman - being able to hold both kinds of desire at once.
I want my family to be safe.
I want a roof over my head.
I want the people I love to be comfortable.
And while we’re here, I’d also like something wildly unnecessary and fabulous, please.
I don’t think wanting more automatically makes you ungrateful for what you already have. I don’t think every desire needs to be translated into something virtuous before we’re allowed to admit to it.
Some things can simply be wanted because they’d be fun.
Or beautiful. Or luxurious.
Like a big-ass yacht.
If Martha wants the yacht, boy do I hope she gets it.
