Be It Ever So Humble . . .

Today I visited an old friend from high school. She was one of my best friends, and we had a lot of good times together. Our class is getting ready to have our 30th high school reunion, and she and I are working on the decorations for it, so I went down to her house in Lewisville to do some planning. Did I say house? More like a mansion. It is 10,000 square feet. I forget how many bedrooms, but there are a bunch. And eight bathrooms. The grounds are also impressive. It looks almost like a park with a pond, stonework archways, big trees, shrubs, well you get the picture. Inside the house the walls were covered with stuff - artwork, flowers, pictures, and there were rugs and throws everywhere. Overstuffed furniture. There was a study just like you would imagine a study to look like - wood paneling, leather furniture, big desk, huge picture windows and bookshelves covering the walls, with plenty of family pictures. In the basement was a big bar, like you would see in a restaurant, a room with a pool table, and a workout room. The third floor had guest bedrooms, a large playroom, and the "nanny's quarters", which is what she called it. This included a full kitchen, living room, den, bedroom, and bath.

Anyway, as opulent as all this was, I was telling Bennie that I would hate to live there. It just wasn't "homey". If I had a million dollars (BNL's), I would still want to live like I am right now. I like my kitchen better than hers. Believe it or not, but my kitchen has more cabinets and counter space. And I would hate the inconvenience of having to walk all day long just to get to another part of the house.

So all this got me thinking about happiness. It seems like we are always wanting more in order to be happy, but how much is enough? Do we ever get to a point where we stop wanting more and are just satisfied with what we have? I guess I just feel very grateful for what I have. I have a great family, and I love our house. I have a good job with three day weekends. I try not to dwell on the things I don't like about my life but instead concentrate on the good things. So I guess that's what I'm doing with this post. Counting my blessings and being happy.