wealth

sometimes i post quotes. like in the post directly below this one. some of the quotes i just like. some of them i post as springboards for thought. this is one i wanted to think about.

"There is a gigantic difference between earning a great deal of money and being rich." (Marlene Dietrich)

let me clarify. this isn't something i interpret as "money is the root of all evil," because i am firsthand witness to the fact that very good things can be accomplished with some money in the bank. i think i see it more as money isn't a guarantee to bring you wealth. you can have money and be happy, as easily as you can have it and be miserable.

money is nice. it sure does make things more comfortable. money is also necessary. we need it to survive. it is important to have a job, pay your bills, plan for the future. and there is nothing wrong with having some cushion for the finer things. but none of that is a guarantee. it makes no promise that we will be healthy, happy, well-adjusted or loved. it is entirely possible that you *can* have money & be all of those things, but it does not ensure them.

i look behind me, at where i have been. there was a time when there was money to provide all sorts of nice things. but that brought with it more subtle unhappiness to my world than most people that know me will ever realize. the money was there, but i was depleted in many of the ways that matter. all the nice things in the world couldn't buy me what i really needed. all the money there was couldn't have attained the one thing that was missing.

i have less now... and yet more. it's lucky for me that i am as low maintenance as i am. i appreciate the nicer things, but i can live without them too. my needs are met. i am warm, safe, dry & fed. i have enough to supply creature comforts. there isn't anything that i want for, beyond the limits i set upon myself. i don't think we should ever have *everything* we want. it keeps reality in perspective, and reminds us to be grateful for what we do have.

but for all that i have "given up," i am far richer.

i have peace of mind. i am well-loved. i am protected. i have friends that amaze me with their understanding & generosity. i have faith. i have the ability to trust -- granted, still hesitantly at times, but i am re-learning. i have room to be myself, to not be criticized for who i am, squashed down, belittled, made inferior. i no longer feel inadequate. i have room to breathe.

i look at that quote & i don't see that money sets us on a path to an empty shell we think will be happiness. i see, instead, that you can have money in varying quantities, but it won't be the determining factor in how rich we may be. that true wealth lies not in the size of our bank accounts, be they large or small, but in the life we live. finding enjoyment in the experiences we have, the opportunities we take, the people we love, the blessings we are afforded & the attitude we choose.

i could wake up in a beautiful home on the beach in Southern California tomorrow morning or in a grass hut in northern Idaho, and in neither situation am i guaranteed either happiness or despair. that isn't up to the money. that is up to me. my wealth will always ultimately lie in the fact that i have riches that money can neither give nor take away.