It is often said that money does not buy happiness. While I agree in large part with this statement, I also disagree with it a little. It seems to me that some amount of money is makes it easier for a person to get through their days without experiencing the stress that comes along with worrying about whether all of the bills will get paid that month. There is a certain peace of mind that comes when a person is able to know that their basic necessities like housing, food, electricity, telephone, and heat are provided for. If there are other bills to be paid that are not essential to survival but still can not be eliminated from your life such as car insurance, gas for the car, and payments on old debts and student loans, then knowing that you have enough to pay them removes another layer of worry.
Recently I spent quite a bit of time worrying about when and how certain things would get paid for. In reality perhaps I worried too much because inside I knew that the basics of existence – food and shelter – were all set. My experience made me keenly aware that while money does not actually buy happiness it does free a person’s mind for other, more important pursuits than worrying about how to pay the bills. I am a stay at home mom and it made me very sad that at times the worry made me feel like I was just going through the motions and not truly savoring each moment.
I also found that it is possible to get around the worry. It was not easy, but I made a conscious choice to put financial concerns out of my mind at least for a while after I had done whatever I could to remedy them. It was not easy but I did it. I did it for myself, for my son, and for my family. By making a conscious decision to set the worry aside and focus on whatever I was doing, I was able to have fun playing with my son and being silly together. We did those things that money can not buy, things like spending hours enjoying unseasonably warm weather outdoors, reading books, washing dishes together, and taking long walks. The next time that I begin to notice that financial worries are inhibiting my ability to engage in life I will do my best to stop and take a step back and commit to setting those worries aside after doing whatever I can to remedy the situation.