Thoughts

I was reading the blog “The Simple Dollar” this morning before I came to work. One of the questions addressed today was Do you wish you were rich?. While normally I would’ve probably answered with a hearty yes, I read through the rest of his column explaining the cons to being rich. Take Bill Gates for instance, he can’t do the simple task of just going to the grocery store by himself. He has “people” that do that. And imagine all the people who are constantly “wanting” something from him or beg him for money. That isn’t the kind of wealth I would want. The author also goes on to say even being “locally rich” isn’t something he would want either. He tagged a local businessman whose house was being foreclosed on. The house was estimated to be worth 4.2 million dollars in Nebraska – so just imagine that the house was probably sprawling. The upkeep would be costly, you would have to hire help. And, to maintain your hired help and the house you would have to be working at a very high level. I wouldn’t want that either. In turn, he goes onto say what he would really love in life is “financial independence.” The dream of not having to worry about future income. In really thinking about that answer that is the answer I would have to give. I would love to be able to go shopping and not have to worry about if I have enough in my checking account to buy a new pair of shoes. I would love to send my kids to college and be able to travel a bit more, but other than that, I don’t need a huge house, our condo is perfect. I don’t need a Range Rover; I actually love my Honda Pilot. My kids don’t need to be dressed in designer clothing; they would only get holes in them. I don’t need designer clothing either, The Gap suits me just fine. When you really think about it, I am wealthy. Wealthier than most people I know. I have the most amazing family, three awesome, healthy, smart kids, a man who I know truly loves me and who I love with all my heart. My parents, my sisters, my brothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins…everyone is close to my heart. I have a great job, a roof over my head and I am able to pay my bills and put food on the table. Those are things that I am truly thankful for. In scrolling through these older posts, it reminds me everyday how happy we are. These things didn’t cost us money, or at least not a lot. And in the end, it isn’t going to be the money spent that our kids will remember. It is the trips to the beach, the playing catch at the park, the dancing in the living room...