My father once asked me what I thought the meaning of life was. Being only 10 or so I proudly replied "happiness."" My dad smiled and thought for a few minutes. He said, "What about a man who finds happiness in killing someone?- It was in that moment that I realized that everyone finds happiness in different places. For instance, I base most of my happiness on family. By family, I do not mean just the people with whom I share blood, I simply mean the people in my life that mean the most to me. If I am able to be around the people that I love, and have enough money to share special moments with them, then I am happy with my life. .
At the end of the day, it does not matter to me what I have accomplished if I cannot share it with the people that I love. In college, this tends to be tricky because I am away from my blood relations. I quickly learned to seek out people that were both very similar and very unlike me. These people that have become my family away from home. They serve as a support group and as a sounding board, helping me through mistakes and failures as well as accomplishments. Without these people in my life I would have no one with which to enjoy my spare time. Their role in my life is vital to my happiness.
I am fully aware of the cliché that money doesn't buy happiness, but I believe that lack of money can strongly contribute to unhappiness. I am extremely lucky to have more than enough money to make it through the day, but also very aware that I may not always be so fortunate. For my happiness, all I ask for is enough money for the necessities of life and some left over for special times with my family. I know that being low on funds can add much stress to life, but it is time with my loved ones that I truly cherish. .
