Money makes the world go round…

I met a rabbi one day (no this is not a joke); I told him that I wished that I had more money than I had. I told him that I was tired of being ‘poor’ (I know cry me a middle-class river), and wanted to be able to fly off to places whenever I wanted; I wanted a big house, I wanted to be surrounded by at least 2 children, family friends and a man who loved me. I asked him was it bad to be envious of people who ‘seemingly’ had it all? He said to me, there is nothing wrong with wish for, or wanting something that someone else has. The thing is, if you wish for the good, you have to take the un-seen bad that may come along with it. Talk about an ah-ha moment.

The moral to my story – I still wish I had the big house on the sprawling estate and the private jet, but I really don’t want the tax problems that come along with it because of the economy. The reality is – someday in the not to distant future, it will happen.

The rich…I’m not talking a few million, I mean the REALLY, really rich never seem to have any worries. They jet to exotic locations; they have the finest clothes, food and drink. The see something and they buy it. Then there are the rich that are just rich for no real good reason other than they can bounce/throw/hit a ball, or twist the financial industry around their fingers or they are trust-fund babies.

I’m not bashing people who have money and do good, they help their fellow man, spread the wealth, act…well, like normal people and not obnoxious snobs. I’m talking about the people who think that $90million for 3 years is a justifiable amount of money to throw a ball. I mean those that think swindling people (including their own family – glad we’re not related!!) out of their hard earned money/life savings. I mean those that get paid thousands for 15 min to show up at a party, and are famous for nothing at all.

People like the Kennedy’s (yea they have their own ‘stuff’, but in general they believe in service to all people – gotta give them credit for that), Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, these people have money, but they also believe in philanthropy, and the future generation. They are not ones to wear their bling on their sleeve, or flaunt their big homes, private jets, or fancy clothes – but you know they have it.

What does it mean to be wealthy? Is it only monetary? Can we stretch and say it includes family, friends, and if we have a few nickels to rub together (or some good food, wine, music and lots of laughter) that is the whole package? If you have the great family but live in a hut or have a so-so- family but live in Bel-Aire whom would you think the ‘richer person’? Guess it depends on what you need.

I’m lucky – I have a great family and an interesting group of friends. It’s a mix of nationalities, experiences and circumstances. They run the range of friends from grammar school to graduate school. They are black, white, Asian, Hispanic and Indian. They are crazy wealthy, and not so much. There is even European Royalty in there that is a complete nut job, but I love her anyway. If you are looking for someone who is rich, look at the people they keep close to him or her. They are the people you know you can count on and not just because you can get them tickets to a concert, or the latest designer bag free.

Am I wealthy? You bet I am. Maybe not celebrity wealthy, but I am where it counts.