this story originally appeared in the philippine daily inquirer on February 4, 2010.
A luxurious car. A big elegant house with a pool in it. Numerous maids and guards to serve you. A profitable business. Who would not wish to have all these?
But I don’t need to wish for that kind of life. I already have those things, although they come in different packages.
Every morning I ride a shining multicab or tricycle. I see new faces, and I have a different driver every day. It’s so much fun.
A big elegant house? We have that. It’s not really big, with thick walls and spiral staircase, but it is big with love and made elegant with harmony in our family.
Our pool? Yes, we also have that. We have a palanggana for storing water. It is big enough for me to relax in.
Guards? We certainly have them. There’s Makar, Jinkee, Packyao and Bianca. They are our true and honest guards needing no salary. They are our faithful guards who keep us and our house safe.
Maids? Who needs them? There’s mom who can do anything and does everything around the house. She does the laundry. She irons the clothes. She cleans the house. She make us feel good and safe. She cooks the most yummy foods and render us service with 100 percent love.
For business, we own an eatery that serves clean and delicious foods to hungry customers.
I guess seeing things in a positive way is the best way to be happy. Nowadays a lot of us think only of how to make money. Yes, money can make us happy—for a while. But does money buy us salvation when we die? Does money change the way God will judge us?
My teacher in Trigonometry and Statistics once said as she was writing the equation for the Growth Law ( N=Noekt): “You may have hundreds of money that multiply like a bacteria, but can you make it indestructible so that you can bring it when you die?” That remark really made us think.
God gave me a simple life but you know what I have discovered? I am living in utopia! We may not have a big house, but what is more important is the love that fills it. We appreciate every little thing we have and live with contentment that way. I cannot wish for more.
