Remembering never to take our closest ally for granted

Published on:

23 Jul 2014, 9:58 am

By Alec Hogg

We've just finished watching the second and apparently final series of the British TV show Mr Selfridge. Being business based (retail) and historical (early 1900s) it had me from the opening credits. And like any really good series, the final episode was like losing a group of friends. As such things tend to, watching the development of London's Selfridges department store whet my appetite for more about the real Mr Selfridge. And as there's always Google…..

The series ends with happiness all around except for sad news about the health of Selfridge's wife Rose. In reality, after his beloved passed, Harry Gordon Selfridge went off the rails, getting kicked out of his business by the directors, having to rely on the charity of his eldest daughter for a bed, and eventually dying destitute.

It might be stretching things, but the story of the real Mr Selfridge reminds me of Warren Buffett's advice that the most important decision we make is deciding who to marry. Buffett counts the investment he made in the marriage licences for his two partners as the best investments he ever made. Reading how the late Steve Jobs's life transformed after marrying his Laurene suggests the Apple maestro probably agreed. A point to ponder for singles; and cause for gratitude and a reminder for many of us not to take our stanchest, closest ally for granted.