There is a phrase that I really like, which says: 'The rich person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least.' I know many people who have everything and yet are always complaining because they always want more or because what they have is not enough. I also know people who are not only happy with the little they have but also enjoy it and share it.
These last people have taught me that one should not live in lack: that stupid habit some people have of always wanting something, needing something, asking for something more, does not allow them to be happy. I have learned that one must value what we have without stopping to think about what we lack. I do not have wealth, but I do not die to have it. All my life I have been a thrifty person, but not to have a lot of money: I save to give myself some pleasures, like paying for a trip, giving a gift, or simply buying something I need. I always say that in my hands money flows: it comes and goes, it does not remain stagnant.
During these days of Holy Week we went to a beach in the city where I live and, of course, it was crowded with people. Since there were no empty umbrellas, we decided to sit under a coconut tree to protect ourselves a little from the sun. The idea was to spend a different day by the sea, so we brought things to eat and drink. In front of us there was a couple who bought everything that was being sold: sunglasses, necklaces, carved stones, ice cream, sweets, and many other things. However, to our surprise as we watched them from afar, they seemed annoyed and at no moment did we see them talk to each other. There by the sea, the man spent the day looking at and calling on his cell phone.
At the end of the afternoon, while they were putting away everything they had bought, they argued. Then, when they left, he went ahead and she stayed behind with a face of unhappiness and anger. In contrast, we, under the palm tree and sitting on the sand, with the little we had brought, spent the day laughing, sharing, thankful not only for being able to get together, but also to be on the beach. In short, we felt very fortunate.
And the thing is, fortune is not just having wealth, buying everything excessively. Fortune is having peace of mind, for example, to do and be where you want and with the people you want. Having the freedom to relax and enjoy a day on the beach, without having to be checking your phone, for example, even if that generates money for you. Fortune is having health, a home, food, a place to sleep, people who support and love you, having peace.
I firmly believe that true abundance is not having many things, but appreciating the things we have, even if they are few, and being happy with them. It's not about having, it's about feeling that you don't lack things to feel good. Because the one who lives in abundance lives in gratitude, takes advantage not only of what they have, but of what they are and generates such a positive energy that the universe only gives them what they deserve by divine right.
