Starting Over

I start each morning writing my to-do list in my head, thanking God for all I have, and all I will one day achieve. I then go down to the kitchen and start the coffee brewing. I shower and think about what I will wear and how I will arrange my hair. Coffee is permeating my nostrils so I walk down to the kitchen where I take out my coffee mug. I purchased this 'mug' from a small kitchen shop in Athens, Greece. Everything in the shop was imported from England. It's original use, I'm sure, was intended to hold soup, however, I have turned it into a coffee mug with a saucer. I fill my cup and take my first sip of the day knowing there will be many to follow. I hold it close to me letting it warm my chest and breathe in a new day.

I proceed to open my computer, letting it take its usual snails' pace starting up, and look around my little living space. My life has taken another sharp and unexpected turn. Bringing me home. If you had asked me a year ago if I would ever have contemplated moving back to the United Sates, I would have looked at you and laughed. But here I am. Sitting in my rented townhouse in New Jersey, sipping my coffee from my English 'mug', and typing on my Greek laptop. But I am happy. Happier then I've been all my life.

Being forced to downsize has changed my perspective on everything. There are those that believe it is harder to lose everything and re-build, then it is to have nothing and build up. I would have been one of those people not very long ago. The thought of losing my house, and car and financial security would have devastated me a year ago. Yet, here I am. My beautiful home I decorated and furnished with pieces I picked up while traveling to different European cities, my luxurious BMW I ordered to my specifications, and all of my assets gone forever.

Why then am I happier than I've ever been? I'll tell you. Because in the past 10 months I have discovered two important mysteries that unlock the door to personal happiness. One...money does not buy happiness, only material possessions. Two...I am free to live my life without the shackles of my unhappy, albeit wealthy, past.

Need to get going now. Work calls. I am so grateful for the opportunity to work, and work hard to attain financial success on my very own. Wish me luck!