If Money Were No Object

The Lounge is being hosted by Where the Wild Things Were this week and the theme is:

'If Money Were No Object'.

It is the most beautiful day here in Somerset.  The sky is a cloudless blue and I sat in the garden with the sun warming my bare shoulders as I drank my coffee and had a little chat with my cat Eddie who has taken to sleeping outside in the flowerbed the last few days.

I started thinking big ...  HUGE ... Country estates, private yachts, donating to charities, helping out family and friends, travelling the world in style, decorating my toenails with gold leaf ....

But that's not really me so I took it right back to basics.

Of course I'd love to help out family and friends and there are so many charities out there that I'd feel fortunate to be able to help but as I thought about it I remembered something I'd read once a very long time ago.

I don't remember if it was a story or an article or maybe if it was just something I once dreamt but it made me think and it also reminded me of a quote I posted many moons ago on my 'about you' bit on Facebook (if you read my last post you will know that I love quotes but not all kinds ;-):

'Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need. A homely home and simple pleasures, someone to love and someone to love you. Enough to eat and to wear and a little more than enough to drink; for thirst is a dangerous thing....'

The story that I read was about a man who wished he had just enough.

Just enough to pay the bills.  Just enough to be able to feed his family.  Just enough so that money wasn't one of the things that he had to worry about and, his dream came true!

He found that when he reached the checkout at the Supermarket he had exactly the right amount to pay for his goods.

When his child brought home a letter about a school trip he reached into his pocket and found he had just the right amount to pay for it.

When I bill dropped onto the doormat he had just the right amount in his account to cover it.

For a while he was very happy but then he started to want more.  Not huge things, just things that he though would make him happy.

A new carpet to replace the one that had a small stain on it, why try cleaning it if you can buy new?

A pair of designer trainers to replace his (perfectly good) unlabelled ones.

Gourmet sandwiches from the local deli rather than making his own lunch and so on ....

These things did made him happy.

Until he came to pay the next bill and, when he reached into his pocket he found he didn't have enough.

He was short by the amount that he had spent on the carpet and the trainers and the gourmet sandwiches and he was angry because buying those things had made him happy and surly that was the point of it all?

And then he remembered that his original wish had been to have 'just enough' ...

You know what?

I HAVE just enough of so many things and yeah sure, I'd love to have some more money.  I DO struggle.  The roof of my house DOES need replacing.  I don't get to go on exotic holidays.  I can't have 3 pairs of New Rock boots and I can't afford to send my daughter to Paris on the school trip but we do OK!

If you read my blog you already know that I spend a huge amount of time at the beach.  I live in a beautiful part of a beautiful country.  I laugh until I cry almost every day.  I indulge my love of live music on a regular basis.  I go to festivals, drink beer, lie in the sun, spend time at the farm, meet up with friends, have a great network of neighbours, and so much more ...

I know that I'm loved.

I don't have everything  but (without trying to sound smug and/or preachy and no, I'm definitely NOT saying I wouldn't like to win the lottery!!) ... my boat of life is pretty full and when things get tough I try to hold on to that.