East Coast Money

Visiting the east coast was always something I wanted to do. My friends and I would always talk about taking trips to New England in Autumn and driving from Massachusetts to Maine to see the fall colors. In my mind, it was always so picturesque. Being here is completely different than I imagined.

A friend of mine lives in New York City, and as I talked to him last night, I realized that he and I are viewing the things and people around us quite similarly. Out here, it seems like everyone is obsessed with money and status and very worldly things... He put it best by saying, "People here live to work; I just work to live." It's true.

I agree with him, that just isn't ME.

I honestly believe that money does NOT buy happiness. My boss is living proof of that. I think people would be much better off if they started to focus on things that REALLY MATTERED, instead of only being concerned with their rank on the corporate ladder. I can only speak for myself, but spending time with my friends, spending time with my family, and doing things I love with the people that I love..THOSE are the things that make me happy. I was happy long before I had a job that paid well, so I can promise money had nothing to do with my happiness.

I'm not saying people shouldn't be proud of their accomplishments, or shouldn't strive to be the best in their field. I am just saying there are more important things in life, which have nothing to do with work or money. What good is it to have a job that pays millions of dollars if you're not home to enjoy the things you've bought with the people that mean the most to you? You can have a multi-million dollar house; But that doesn't mean it's a "home."

When I reflect on my life and think about the memories I consider "my favorites," none of them are things like, "when I got that extra large paycheck," or "when I went out to eat at the nicest restaurant in the city," etc. It's things like, "When Beth, Poppy, Kellie and I had the original 'fire on the bon'." or "When Brennan and I would go to 'game night' at Don's on Sundays," or "pulling elaborate pranks on my ward or my friends."

I don't know... Those are just some of the things I have been thinking about the past few days.