Thursday, May 7, 2009

What Makes Us Feel Rich



I own some nice jewelry. I really do. Some of it I actually wear. Some of it never sees the light of day. And I suppose that nice jewelry should make me feel rich and in a way it does but it also makes me worry. What if I lose it? What if someone should steal it? Who do I leave it to? My kids have been asking me their entire lives if they can have this or that when I die which I suppose some people would find upsetting but I only find pragmatic and somewhat charming. They know I'm never going to die so the whole thing has no meaning.

But it's not my jewelry that makes me feel rich and I was thinking about this last night. What does make me feel rich?
I'll tell you what makes me feel rich:

First off, having excess rolls of toilet paper in all three bathrooms. Do you hear me? When I start running low, I can just go out and buy a twelve-pack of double-sized rolls and bring them home and spread them around the bathrooms. Done! How luxurious is that? Phew.

I am aware that having three bathrooms should make me feel rich and I guess it does but it also sort of makes me feel weary. Three toilets to scrub, three sinks to scrub, a tub and three showers to scrub, etc. What really makes me feel rich is that I have running water in each and every one of those bathrooms. HOT running water. Also in the kitchen. I have lived without running water. With an infant. I will never in my life turn on a faucet and take for granted that water comes out of it. Ever.

Having a spare can or bag of coffee in the cabinet. Yeah. That is wealth. And when those Eight O'Clock Brand bags go on buy-one-get-one-free sale, I have many, many bags of coffee in my cabinet. I am REALLY rich then.

Having a drawerful of clean underwear also makes me feel like Ms. Gotrocks. Most of it not worn through in any places, although Jockey string bikinis have elastic which will survive longer than the cotton and I'm not saying I through those babies away just because there's a little wear there. Ut-huh. Gardening panties. I got 'em.

Clean sheets. Especially if they were dried on the line (and having a clothesline makes me feel rich, too, by the way). I read once that Jackie O. used to have her maid change her sheets every time she took so much as a nap. Now this does seem excessive but if I were as rich as Jackie O., I would do the same. Lying down on a comfy bed made up with clean sheets is the very definition of luxury and wealth. I think Mr. Moon feels the same. Whenever I've washed the sheets, I make sure to tell him ahead of time so that he can prepare for the ultimate in bedtime comfort.
"Clean sheets tonight!" I tell him and he says, "Oh boy!"
Sort of like foreplay for the elderly. And when we get in bed we groan with pleasure and stretch our arms and legs over the vast space of cleanliness and crispness. Someone listening to us would think something was going on and they'd be right- two people in ecstasy over the feel of fresh, clean sheets. Mmm-mmm.

What else makes me feel rich?

Oh, rain. Definitely rain. Rich AND happy.

And my porches. Three porches?! Who's richer than me? No one, that's who.

The picture in my room that my uncle painted when he was a boy which always hung over my grandmother's bed. They are both dead but that picture is still beautiful with its blues and its yellows in the plain wooden frame that my granddaddy made with his very own hands so very long ago.


All my plants in pots. My green babies. Especially the ones I've started from a rootling or a leaf. And the plants in the yard I've dug up and brought home from the woods. Mostly ferns. Ferns make me feel rich with their ancient form and dinosaur-feeding capabilities. The way the unfurl and stretch out, their pure green, their ability to survive for millenniums. Their spores and their spears, their furry roots and their coolness. Oh, give me ferns!

My freezer with fish and venison in it. Grouper and snapper and deer loins and steaks and pot roasts and sausage. Yes. I am rich, rich, rich! And the garden with greens and tomatoes coming along and cucumber seeds beginning to germinate in the rich dirt. The potatoes forming in their rows, the volunteer squash and melons that I'm allowing to go on and do what they want wherever it is that they want. Oh yes. These things make me feel rich.

Having a chicken coop with growing chicks makes me feel rich in a way that owning an emerald would not. Why is that? And don't get me wrong. I would love to own an emerald but really, my chickens make me feel rich.

Having spare rooms is wealth. A room simply for books! (And the dogs who sleep in there, of course.) A room for a guest! Another room for a guest!

And knowing that there's a spare bottle of dishwashing liquid under the sink in the kitchen.
And knowing there's bags of beans and brown rice in the cabinet. For some reason, these make me feel richer than having my great-grandmother's silverware.
My iron skillets make me feel rich. And my grandparent's Revere Ware. My favorite wooden spoons. And my newish stove that works so well.

Having a relatively strong and flexible body makes me feel rich and so does having an entire day to use it in the garden.

Having an endless supply of books to read and books to listen to from the library makes me feel rich.

Having the internet makes me feel rich.
Magazine subscriptions make me feel rich.

Having this computer makes me so happy and feel so lucky that I don't even want to talk about it.

Having hours and hours to myself makes me feel rich. Wealthy beyond my wildest dreams.

THE LOVE! My family and my friends and their love for me and my love for them.

Knowing I'm going to have a grandchild in a few months- wealth beyond reason.

I tell you what. When I've been away from this place, this dream place of mine where most of my riches lie- the extra toilet paper, the beans in the cabinet, the oak trees that will never be mine but which I have the honor of living with for this time- when I pull up in this yard, even if I've only been gone for a few hours, I feel I am wealthier than Bill Gates, more fortunate than Brad and Angelina, more blessed than the pope.

I'm not kidding you. I really do.

The scent of the jasmine hits me, the smell of the magnolia blossoms and then I open the door and here it all is- my richness, my wealth, the grand pantry of the food of my dreams.

What makes you feel rich? Is it having blue cheese olives for your martinis? Is it the giant TV you scrimped and saved for? Is it having an extra pair of socks? Is it your family Bible, your favorite pair of overalls, your collection of blues albums? Does buying good vinegar make you feel rich, or a mango, ripe and red and ready to cut? A piece of really fine tuna, a table you refinished, your baby's smile, the way your love's eyes light up when you come home? Your bike? Your kayak, the way you feel when you ease it into the cool clean waters of a nearby spring? Your guitar, a new set of strings for it? A new pad of paper, a new pen? A frosty bottle of your favorite beer or maybe pomegranate juice, just opened and ready to sip?

Tell me, tell me, please do tell me.

Because you know what else makes me feel rich?
Your comments, your words, your thoughts, your ideas. The things you leave here for me to read. They make me feel so very rich.

Riches. Yours and mine. Spill them like coins of silver and gold from a leather pouch you keep tucked in your shirt.

And let's count them together.

34 comments:

  1. I am just sick about your words! I'm so happy to have found you! And you make me feel rich - you share SO MANY words:) My poetry books by authors no one who visits has ever heard of. I like to smile knowingly. Organic anything, especially clothes. New crocs with a tediously chosen Jibbitz. Our camera which was a gift and we wouldn't have otherwise. 4 children who call me the artist mommy and Dawn the fun mommy. The quiet snores of sleeping babies. Oh! New scissors for new scrapbook paper! OK. OK! Good question. When I steal this idea for a blog, I'll give you credit:)

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  2. Ooooh, good question...

    Having 2 ABSOLUTELYFUCKING GORGEOUS children that are strong as horses.

    Having an amazing mother who has been my best friend most of my life.

    Living on a beautiful peace of land, with many thanks to my stepdad for envisioning a family compound in a place he loves as much as I do... I will die on that land, hopefully as a very old woman.

    Beautiful grandparents that always make me feel like I am OF COURSE the favorite grandkid.

    A car with A/C. A car that runs without stalling.

    Wonderful blogs like this one.

    A rice cooker.

    A comfortable bed.

    Sattelite TV and radio.

    Having plenty bananas, whole-wheat tortillas, toilet paper, paper towels, sanitary napkins, deoderant, shampoo.

    Do you want me to go on?

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  3. I was just thinking about this last night, because I've been buying bags of ice from Publix to use in my water instead of the ice I make in trays. It's easy to crunch, it tastes good, and I feel like it's the height of luxury. I mean, STORE BOUGHT ICE! Richy rich, indeed. As Tay would say, "well fahn fah fah."

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  4. Yes! Clean sheets do the same thing to me and my man. We must be pre-elderly. Ha.

    I too love the Eight O'clock coffee and I always stock up when it goes two for one at Publix.

    Other things:

    Publix! Just being able to go Publix and wander the aisles filled to the hilt with literally every food item I could want to think about buying.

    Air conditioning!!!!!

    Multiple boxes of veggie burgers in the freezer.

    Having a variety of condiments on hand for any possible uses. Special shout out for hot sauces!

    Friday nights, knowing that the whole weekend lays before me.

    Grilling out on my $30 Walmart grill. Veggie kabobs with dripping juices!

    Last, but not least, my Roomba (yes, I am STILL talking about it). I have a robot slave that cleans my floors 24/7. In fact, I am at work, and Roomba is at home cleaning my floors RIGHT NOW! What could really be better than that? Nothing!

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  5. Oh, oh...

    A stash of tea bags in the cupboard.

    GPS turn by turn directions, I get lost easy.

    Good music.

    Okay, you get the idea.

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  6. Oh, DTG, I didn't even think about ice... good one.

    Ms. Moon you got me all excited.

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  7. Oh, and the new AC unit my landlady (finally, after two years of complaints) got me has an actual remote control. I can sit on my couch and adjust the temperature. Ooh la la!

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  8. Ceiling fans!!!

    Okay, I'll stop now.

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  9. I have 2 bathrooms all to myself and can finally afford Cottenelle Triple ply with aloe - I'm rich too, I just didn't realize it!

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  10. I feel rich when I walk into a bookstore knowing that I get to *buy* a book to keep. Then when I get that book home, I feel so excited about the journey I'm about to take. I love a fresh, new book! I love library books too, but they don't do it for me in the same way.

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  11. Can I steal this idea? Pretty please?

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  12. I could go on and on for days about the simple things in my life that make me rich, mostly my grandbabies who always run in through the front door screaming "NANA"!!!!!!!! and run even faster when they realize where I am so that they can attack me with hugs and kisses. Rich? Beyond belief...
    My 130 year old house with the scratched up wood floors and squeaky dryer.
    Books, books, and more books than I shall ever finish reading in this lifetime, old photographs, aprons (which are good for just about everything..)
    Well, like I said, could go on and on...
    thanks for the reminder about the good things in life, it was much needed today.

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  13. Now this is what I'm talking about! And yes, you all have permission to use the idea. Obviously!

    Windy Days- I'm so glad you found me too. I need to catch up on your story. Snoring babies. Yes.

    Steph- Everything you said.

    DTG- Watch the ice crunching. It does eventually catch up to you. But yes, store-bought ice!
    And air conditioners! We may have to turn ours on tonight.

    Lady Lemon- I'm afraid my dogs would eat a Roomba. But I really sort of want one.
    And Publix is filled with simple riches.

    MOB- Remember when we had to steal our toilet paper? From institutions? It was not nice toilet paper.

    Lora- Just walking into a book store makes me feel rich.

    Kori- Of course!

    Tiffany- We have old houses that we love- we're so rich. And the grandbabies. I can't wait.

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  14. Ms. Moon, do you mean to say this is the first grandbaby?! Oh Lordy, you think you're rich now ;o)

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  15. I started smiling shortly into this post and finished it with a beam cracking my face.

    I am so with you on clean linen being foreplay for the elderly, and I'm 33.

    That's why I change it so infrequently, you know, just to make the freshness feel that bit better.

    I get bored of all the blogger comment fellating, as some call it,

    but this post is just deep down lovely.

    Definitely the hot running water. And electricity. And broadband (shitty as it is here).

    My children's creamy, healthy, strong bodies, their sweet plump bums. Watching them play together, and knowing I don't have to fear war, bombs, soldiers coming to abduct and kill. For that I am so very grateful, being born in the part of the world and time I have been.

    Cars. Much as I wish I could afford an electric/hydrogen Honda.

    Living in a detatched house.

    The view of the mountain and Bray Head as I drive towards them. I live in a beautiful county. Being near the sea.

    I agree about the toilet paper. I love to fill up the wicker box I bought. Also sanitary towels.

    Gelato! I've eaten Italian icecream in Italy, twice. Well, every day, on two holidays. Ahhh, gelato.

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  16. Hi Miss Moon,

    Well, you've done it again! It's another movement! You could start your own religion or a political party... How fun!

    Well, most everything these days makes me feel grateful. I like and agree with what others have said: Harley, Hub, critters, paper products, extra food, bookstores with coffee shops, fresh garden or organic veggies, your blog and a few others, our little hood, a/c, my sanity (knowing that the bad moments are only that, moments and that I really am sane deep down), our home, diet ice cream, and and and the bloomin Magnolia tree! And I have to agree with LL hotsauce RULES... try it on popcorn sometime!
    Thanks for the reminder to stay grateful MM.
    xo pf

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  17. Just so you know 8 o'clock coffee is bogo this week at Publix, so get ready to feel that much richer. I always tell Jason when I washed the sheets too, he gets just as excited as the elderly. I always feel rich when I have extra money at the end of the week with no bills to pay, it does not happen often. I feel rich for many reasons, but mostly Jason and my family. Anywhoo I love you and hope to see you soon.

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  18. Oh, I just thought of a few others...
    Helping. I LOVE to help. I know I'm a RAGING codependent, but at least I'm not an enabler anymore. It feels GREAT to help and I love doing it whenever I can.

    Harley's laugh.

    Not having spider poop on my appliances, OR baby toads and June bugs IN my washer anymore. SELAH!!

    LOVE. HUGS and KISSES.

    Oh, btw, I saw Ms Lilly today. I can finally see that baby! She says she'd like you to pop into her work.. Says you haven't been in for a whole week! Heavens above!

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  19. Ok, I did not realize Lilly had popped in here. I really need to check things out before I go blabbing! DOH!

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  20. the only thing i've ever said i wanted from someone when they die is this coffin-shaped table my grandma has - its fantastic (everyone was glad that i wanted it too - no one else does!).

    amen to the toilet paper - i always have loads of it coming out of everywhere. growing up we NEVER had it and using napkins all the time sure does make your butt raw - lol!

    h20 is amazing too! i camped for a couple weeks once and missed water and toilets like crazy!! we are so blessed to have it.

    i'm always trying to remember what blessings i have, b/c they might not always be there:
    my health, abilities, senses; a car; family & friends; my drive to be something more and help people; my boyfriend; my spiritual beliefs...

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  21. I felt rich when I could go to the bookstore and buy books for myself, just because I wanted them. We were so poor when we first got married, I never owned the books I read. It was such a luxury to have my very own books to put on my very own bookshelf. I gave most of them away to Goodwill when I moved, but I kept my most favorite ones.

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  22. When I can put anything I want in my cart at Kroger, and know I can pay for it. Paying off my student loan for my master's by myself. When my nephew doesn't want me to put him down, and when my neices don't either. Washing all my blankets and airing out my house. Hot tea in the mornings and frosty beers outside (you said it!). My bookshelves. Hearing "I love you."

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  23. Tiffany- I know. I know I don't know.

    Ms. Jo- I can't even imagine what peace means to you. I love thinking about your beautiful babies playing happily.

    Ms. Fleur- You have many riches. Yes, you do. And thanks for reminding me of spider poop. I need to write about that soon.

    Lily- Whoa! BOGOF! Thanks! I love you! See you Sunday? And by the way, I have been to Publix this week but you weren't there. Bah!

    Ginger- Books are always rich-making in every way.

    SJ- You ARE rich!

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  24. These are great to read. I feel rich when I see someone not as fortunate as myself (whether it be materially, physically or emotionally) and know my life isn't as difficult as theirs. Also so many other reasons, some similar to what others wrote.

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  25. By the way, I felt like you had each of "us" in mind when you wrote your list of what may make each of us feel rich...did you? =) Just a feeling I had.

    And also, my sister decided that I needed some plants and flowers and we went to the nursery tonight and found plants to pot. We went to her yard and planted them, and surveyed her garden, and planted honeysuckle vines. It was excellent, and I thought of you as I was digging around in the dirt =)

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  26. God, the food I buy definitely makes me feel rich to have and to eat. Well, it kind of makes me feel rich, but it also kind of makes me feel guilty because I usually go for the organics and all those fruits and veggies, which really add up. But when I drink my 2%, organic milk (as opposed to the skim regs.) with my granola, I feel mighty luxurious. Just shopping makes me feel rich, but then poor after the fact, heh.

    The three plants that I have right now make me feel rich.

    All the soaps I have, oh god there are so many, but they are nice. I never know which one I am going to use. It's great.

    Having a good job makes me feel rich.

    My beautiful Martin guitar, and playing my own songs on it, make me feel damn rich.

    My family and friends make me the richest!

    Love you Ma.

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  27. this is why I love you!!!!

    and you are rich ....and I am rich too!

    smooches

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  28. Ms. Fleur is right! You are a movement! Down with Facebook! Up with Books! Down with Starbucks! Up with Eight o'clock!

    Where's the dotted line? And do you have something with which I could prick my finger? I'll be your first devoted follower;)

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  29. PF- Popcorn? I must try that!

    WD - I think that Ms Moon should start a commune for us out on her land. I hear that there's all the greens you can eat!

    Ms Moon - What say ye? You know you've always wanted a tent village for your yard!

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  30. Nicol- Yes. That's an important thing to remember.

    SJ- Of course I was thinking of all of you. And you planted honesuckle? How lovely. The hummingbirds will love you.

    CMe- That is a beautiful list.

    HoneyLuna- Real milk, soap and guitars. Yes! I love you too.

    Ms. Bliss- Yes!

    Windy Days- Oh. You're so funny. No finger-pricking necessary. But it would be nice to start a movement, wouldn't it? Real books, real thoughts, real words, real coffee! I'm there.

    Lady Lemon- Uh. Okay. A tent village, you say? Let's just redneck it up and move in a bunch of single-wides. Yeah!

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  31. Hmmm.

    This made me curious.
    I don't feel rich.

    We don't have loads of money, but we're not poor. We have a home, but pay princely for it.

    The other richness you speak of, we are waiting for.

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  32. Ms. Moon,
    I am definitely with you on the cupboard full of good coffee and the stocked-up toilet paper. That's too funny--I thought I was alone on the toilet paper. Oh, the luxury of having roll after roll!

    I also feel rich when I have lots of books and post-it notes of all different shapes and sizes and a jar full of different kinds of pens and a good bottle or two of cabernet or merlot. Or when I have a day just to do what I want and not be on anybody's schedule but mine.

    Love to you my comrade in plentiful toilet paper,

    SB

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  33. XBox- I can feel rich because I have all that I ever wanted- a loving family. I only hope that for you.

    Sarcastic Bastard- Hey! We are twins! Only you like wine and I can't drink it. Allergies. But beyond that...
    Thanks for the love.

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  34. Ahh, there is NOTHING like fresh sheets dried in the breeze...AHHH.

    I have to say that I am thankful that I have not had to come by my appreciation for things like running hot water and ample toilet paper by way of NOT having had them. But I am also thankful for knowing people like YOU who remind me that those things should not be taken for granted.

    What makes me feel rich? Hmmm...

    My son. Definitely. And this baby growing inside me. The ABILITY to grow a human inside me, THAT makes me feel beyond wealthy, and another thing that I have learned should not be taken for granted...just because one is female, sadly does not mean it is a given....And then to watch them grow and learn and experience the beauty of this world around us, and to provide them with more than what *I* had. All of those things make me feel very rich.

    Our house, with its .45 acre of land makes me feel rich. Even if it IS 127 years old and some days it literally gives me anxiety attacks when I see another stress crack from settling or go in the basement (which is really just a crawlspace) and see the dry rot on the sagging floor joists and start thinking about all the TLC it needs and worry that it will fall apart beneath us...BUT, really, it's been there for 127 years, and it will be for another 100 probably, and we just do what we can, and just the fact that it is *ours* and that we accomplished that at 24 and 26 years of age makes me feel rich.

    And as jothemama said...The fact that my children can play outside without fear, and that we can walk to the park in peace and that we do not know the horrors of war in our back yard; that we had the luck to be born here and now, those things make me feel super rich.

    Great post Ms. Moon. I may have to expand on this in a blog of my own. How great it is to take time and reflect upon the things we should remember to be grateful for.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.