On Wealth and Happiness

I've been pondering lately what it is to be wealthy. Is it simply having more money in the bank? Is it having an extravagant house? A big house? A big car? The latest clothes or the newest iPhone? Or is there more to life than material trappings? Of course there is. You know that and I know that. Not everyone knows that, and that's ok too. Each in their own time. 

I think our little family is wealthy enough. We're not flush with cash, and nor are we likely to become that way. But we have an abundance of love and happiness in our little part of the world. I am able to stay at home full time with our child. My husband works less than full time hours. We have a delightful house where we can raise our child, and where we can show him the joys of growing our own food in the garden, and where eggs come from, and where he will be able to play in the dirt to his heart's content. 

We have time to be together as a family. We spend time together collecting firewood to keep our house warm. We spend time together in the kitchen cooking good food for us to eat. We spend time taking trips in the car to visit family [and our baby loves car trips, bonus]. We have the time to enjoy being in our home together as a family, and we're happy with what we have. We are lucky enough to have been able to redo the kitchen in our home, making it into a space that we love. We have time for another cup of tea.

And I don't want the material trappings. We have more than enough for us. When I look around at my life, I realise just how wealthy we really are. And I'm glad for the choices we have made. There was a time when I was busy climbing the career ladder, in the latest fashion suits and heels and always chasing a job that paid more money. And my life felt so empty. I spent most of my earnings on 'things' to make me happy. I'm glad I finally worked out what really makes me happy. 

Being here in our little home, with my husband and our baby, and our cats and dogs and chooks. So very simple.

What makes you happy?