Being content

Vince and I go way back, we were classmates in the 8th grade…that
would be around 1978-79. Vince’s father was a prominent businessman so
material wealth has never been an issue. I remembered going to Vince’s
home in Tien-Mu, a 3-story building with a garage. It’s not that
unusual nowadays but back 25+ years ago, you would have to be quite
rich to own a building like such and in a prime location in Tien-Mu.
Vince’s family owns several luxurious homes in the US plus investment
properties. The last home he lived in was a mansion, boasting over
9,500 square feet of living space situated on a 2 acre lot. From the
outside, it looked more like a resort than a home. Huge columns with
two lion statues on each side of the 10-ft doors.

A Japanese garden with a large koi pond dominated much of the backyard. To
describe all the amenities inside and outside the house would take up a whole page. Vince and his family weren’t happy with it though. "Too small!" both Vince his mother said to me during my last visit. "Look at all the newer homes being built, they are larger than ours." I didn’t reply, I didn’t know how to reply. Vince and his family had moved back to Taiwan about 3 years ago, settling in their now renovated old home. From what I had heard, they had spent well over quarter a
million US dollars on the renovations. I wondered if Vince and his mom
are satisfied now? I seriously doubt it.

A couple of weeks ago I was on a business trip. I was sent to a small town in Arkansas - Hope is name of the town. Day three of my trip I met up with a former
coworker of mine, who is retired now. John was born and raised in Hope, he knew he would someday retire and return to his roots, which he did. We met for dinner one evening after I got off work. It has been nearly 3 years since I last saw John. He has lost some weight but otherwise looked fine. We chatted in the restaurant where we dined. John’s wife – Jeri wasn’t able to join because she was attending a class that evening. Jeri recently began helping out in the local
school, working with children with special needs.

John invited me and another colleague over to his home after dinner. Alone the way, he showed us different parts of the town where he grew up. John said
things had changed over the years but many spots had remained the same
since his childhood. After about 10 minutes of driving around we arrived at
John’s home. John owns an 80′ trailer on a good size lot. There is a small
raised wood deck in the front, just outside the front door. John has
put in some bricks around the trailer as borders for his wife’s flowers.

Jeri got home a few minutes before we arrived. She greeted us and gave us a big hug. She is a very sweet lady. Jerri eagerly took us inside their home, it was small but everything was kept very tidy. The living room has a 3-person sofa and a couch. Dinning table is a few feet from the living room, with the kitchen next to it.
Jeri took us out back and showed us her flower garden and vegetable patch. The sun was setting then, it was beautiful, serene in a way. I could tell both Jeri and John were very happy. They both said that they really enjoyed their retirement life.

On the way back to the hotel I couldn’t help but thought about Vince and his family. There is such a big contrast between John and Vince. Vince has it all but is never satisfied. John doesn’t have much but is happy with life. Just how much material wealth is necessary for one to be content? I don’t know. My wife and I certainly have a lot more than John and Jeri, but we pale in comparison to Vince. What I do know is, that, money can’t buy happiness.

original post date: May 29, 2009