On Sunny Lane: It's Only Money

Sweetheart and I did a little traveling last week.

As we were driving along the highway, we passed a tractor-trailer that was hauling new cars. I said to Sweetheart, “Sweetheart, aren’t those cars bright and shiny and new?”

And Sweetheart said to me, “Do you know what kind of cars those are?”

Well, years ago, when I was a young person, I could tell you the make, model and year of most of the cars on the road. That’s when there were only three major automakers in the United States and the cars all had distinctive features. And, identifying vehicles was a small sense of pride for me. Now, there are more auto manufacturers than I can count and the autos they produce all look alike to me. The only distinguishing characteristics to me are the color.

So, I told Sweetheart, “No, I don’t.”

Sweetheart, who seems to be more up to date on such things, said,”They’re Mercedes Benz.”

The only thing I know about a Mercedes Benz is that they are high-priced vehicles made for people who have prestige. They don’t impress me. Maybe I don’t have prestige.

I told Sweetheart that I am completely satisfied with our Chevy TrailBlazer. Not only does it get us safely where we want to go, it has a lot of amenities. What more could a person ask for? There’s nothing more that I want.

That got me thinking. People who can afford high-priced items usually have lots of money to spend on such things. I certainly hope they do, anyway.

How much money does a person need to live a happy life? How many things does he/she need to own? What is really important for a person to be happy?

On the other hand, if a person works hard and makes sufficient money, he deserves to spend it. In fact, she/he probably should spend it.

After all, they’re just things--no matter how much they cost.

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Dorothy is the author of two books—“Miles and Miracles” and “Getting It All Together “. You can purchase a book or send a comment by emailing her at dorothybutzknight@gmail.com