The Greatest Wealth Is To Live Content With Little

Last night was a very happy contented little evening. I felt happy tired. Happy tired is such a nice feeling. After a lot of walking, I came back last night to my little nest and I had baked beans on toast for my tea! I replied to a few e-mails and called my sister. Then I watched “The Great British Bake-Off” and then I finished my SHARE-YOUR-WORLD post. Lovely questions from Melanie, the creator of sparksfromacombustiblemind, in this week’s SHARE-YOUR-WORLD, as you can see from her post below:

https://sparksfromacombustiblemind.com/2019/09/09/share-your-world-9-9-19/

QUESTIONS

What’s the first thing you’d do if you won the lottery or came into a huge fortune?

Well…it certainly would not be the lottery. I don’t agree with gambling in any form. So a huge fortune would have to find it’s way to me through some other legitimate means – I can’t think how.

How much are we talking about when we say “a huge fortune”? I have never earnt more than £10,000 a year. (If you know nothing about me, that’s because since I was sixteen years of age I have spent most of my time doing voluntary work for charities.) So in my mind, I have a top limit as to how much money it is appropriate for one person to possess. Beyond a point, it becomes disgusting. I do not agree with people having millions. I think it is grossly absurd for the economy to allow that to happen. There is no way I am going to give up work completely. Work is satisfying. To know that you went to work, you earned your bread and butter. The food you eat you bought because of your own toil. There is a sense of reward there.

I wiped out almost all of my savings on my trip to Australia in the summer, so it would be nice to replenish my savings, so that I wasn’t having to eek everything out so much. I was always told you should have three months rent in the bank. I don’t want to actually buy a house (I understand that people might want a sense of security, but what’s the point of investing in this system?) and I don’t want a car, I like walking because it keeps my legs looking lovely and if I need to go far, London’s public transport system is great. I have more clothes and shoes than I can fit comfortably in my wardrobe. Charity shops have kept me well-supplied.

So I reckon if I take the three months rent, another £1000 so I can go to Australia again without scrimping and saving…well that’s all less than £3000. So anything more than that, I need to share out. I would make sure people I love and know have what they need, three months rent etc.

I know which of my friends are materialistic in their thinking. Why would I feed that ugly trait? I am not going to buy luxuries for anyone. But I would like to make sure none of my loved ones were in debt and that they had what they needed. How can anyone of good conscience and sound mind really enjoy wasting money on luxuries, when there are so many people who are wasting away with malnutrition? I would probably check with Goldfinch if there is anything special he would like – it would be so nice to be able to afford to buy him something special. But I would keep within a sensible limit. Just because I love him, I am not going to express that love by lining coffers of greedy retailers.

Then with the rest of the money, I would give it to the kind of charities I love working with. Charities that use both donations and their assets very carefully and do things that actually make sense. There are lots of “causes” out there, many of which I don’t think are particularly effective. But charities that don’t just throw relief at people in need, but go into areas and provide useful training and facilities, education and empowerment. Make that money have longer lasting effects. That way the money could actually touch and make a difference to the lives of many, actually many millions of people.

Which decade do you think had the best sense of style?

Ooooh…tough question! I am not sure. But I do like fit and flare dresses even now, so it makes me think of the dresses from the fifties. I am not going to be argumentative about this though. 

Would you rather be half your height or double your weight?

Wow…even tougher question! I am not perfect. But I am content as I am.

If I had to choose between those two options, I think I would go for being half my height. That would make me two foot and ten inches (I think). I think I would always be wearing high-heels!

I don’t like the thought of being double my weight at all. I think I would be more sensitive about being way past my recommended weight than I would be about my height, (or lack of it).

Although I just asked a friend about this, he said choose the weight of course. You can’t really do much about your height (other than wearing stilettos etc) but he says you can diet and exercise and lose the weight. Isn’t he a clever clogs!

If you wanted to get away from everyone totally, where would you hide?

Well my little nest is a pretty effective hide-away. I feel very cut off from the outside world because my front door is completely hidden from passers-by.

The moment I leave my little abode, there are people everywhere. This is London baby! We are all squished together here. Where in London can you go to get away from everyone? Only your own little nest really. It is nice to have a little space to yourself when everyday you are crammed in with thousands of strangers, all packed like sardines on buses or trains.

GRATITUDE

What do you do that you love?  

All sorts! I love cleaning and ironing. I love work, especially the voluntary work I do. I love putting on my steel toe-capped boots and working on construction projects. I love getting dressed up in beautiful dresses (that I found in charity shops) to go to special events. I love e-mailing friends across the country and in other countries. I love walking/hiking. I love cooking and baking. I love making my own pesto and my own hummus each week. I love physics. I love gardening (I only do the basics, but I love being out in the garden working away). I love swimming – always have! I love being with friends. I love karaoke. I love making love to Goldfinch – am I allowed to say that? 

So many things that I do that I love! Life is so so so beautiful!