I enjoy all the recent findings about the lack of connection between money and happiness, including John Grohol’s post from yesterday.

John wrote about a study which showed that money distracts people from savoring the simple pleasures of life.

I find these results to be very true in my own life. I’m one of those rare people who, though far from wealthy, is actually satisfied with my income and my standard of living. I have enough money!

I’ve experimented over the years to find the right balance for me between what I want to have, what I want to do, how much I want to work, and what kind of work I want to do.

When I graduated college in the early 1980′s I briefly got swept up into the materialistic verve of that decade. For almost ten years I wore my power suits and button-down shirts (with frilly collars; a nod to femininity), and I went to the office every day. I was superficially proud of my company car and my American Express Gold Card.

But this was never really me, and it didn’t take me very long to realize that I am, at heart, the down-to-earth bohemian type. Money, frankly, doesn’t interest me all that much. It’s nice to have enough to live comfortably, but that’s as far as my financial aspirations go.

Of the many great things about my work as a tutor, one is how it takes me from school to school and house to house every day. I live in a beautiful part of the country, and every day I drive through woods and past farms and parks and lakes and gorgeous private homes. My route is always different, and the scene and seasons are always changing, so there’s always something new to appreciate.

Yesterday I noticed the roses! Every color and every variety are in riotous bloom now. I stopped briefly in front of a modest house, wishing I had my camera. But please try to imagine the most enormous, tumbled mass of scarlet-colored roses, brilliant against the white walls of a little bungalow. The world is full of treats such as this, and I consider them one of my best job perks.

The other day, my next-door neighbor came home from a trip to Florida to visit her daughter. Oh, I love it, love it LOVE IT there! she gushed. The sun, the colors, the warmth! You know what I do? People think it’s crazy but, I step into the ocean and I scoop up some water in my hand, and I smell it and then I taste it! The scent, the taste, they’re like heaven to me.

She spoke with such energy and excitement and passion, I could taste that delicious salt-water myself!

What are the simple things YOU savor in life?

photo of white house, pink tree and blue sky in springtime

Comments

This post currently has one comment or trackback.
You can read the comments or leave your own thoughts.

Trackbacks

From Psych Central's website:
PsychCentral (June 10, 2010)

    Last reviewed: 10 Jun 2010