Are you lucky in love or in money? Can you be both?

My mother’s mother (my Nana) had a saying that you are either lucky in love or lucky in money…..she was good for those sayings. My favorite saying she had was the one she would say as she sat on the couch stretching out her legs - you can always have another father, but you can’t have another mother. Leave it to a woman who raised nine children by herself while her husband drank his paycheck away. She came from a family who came from Italy, built a business and were successful. She remembers having a person come to her house to take her measurements to be fitted for hand-made dresses. I used to love the stories of the never ending delicious food her mother would make. Their home was filled with love and they did not seem to have a need for anything.

When I was growing up, my parents always worried about money. I guess you feel that growing up and you inherit their financial insecurity. I own my apartment and still picture myself as an old woman sitting in front of the building holding a cup out looking for change saying to anyone who will listen that I used to live here and now I have nothing. I know I am an idiot for even thinking that way, but with what is going on with the economy right now, it is a scary unstable environment and triggers my financial insecurity factor to the highest level. I have always been thankful and feel blessed for what I have in my life, but I also got myself where I wanted to be and have always worked hard for it. I have read stories of people who came from nothing and made it big or had something wonderful happen to them and can only imagine how happy and relieved they feel, but there many others out there that are not so lucky or blessed. I always said if I hit lotto, I would try to help as many people as I could who were in true need of it – that would be priceless to me and make me feel as if I have accomplished something that made me feel worthy of being a human being who was lucky enough to receive something special to share with others in need.

What makes someone lucky in love or lucky in money? I have always worn my heart on my sleeve and that is never a win-win situation.

I always thought if I had parents who were educated lawyers or doctors, my life would be better but the question is why would that make your life better…..perhaps just better in having more of a financial cushion. What about those people you see on the bus or train who you assume are making minimum wage and they have a smile on their face as if they have the winning lotto ticket in their pocket. I should ask them what their recipe for happiness is because they have reached down and found it and have probably had more rough times than you could ever imagine and still standing tall with a content smile on their faces.

What about the man who is wearing the expensive suit and tie but has the weight of the world on his shoulders and has that dead look in his eye. As I get older, I want to slow down and smell the roses. I realize that most of the time my job can make any sane person crazy! There was a time when a few hundred dollar bonus was what it took to make me feel on top of the world and now I would be insulted. I guess you get money hungry and just want a little more, a little more becomes a little more and then it becomes a lot more and so on….when does it end and when do you really feel financially secure? Well, I am still waiting to find that answer. I don’t think you can find it anywhere but inside of yourself and you need to reach deep deep down and figure out and realize what is truly important.

As the saying goes – money can’t buy you love or happiness. I believe that is true but what about the people who have it all – is there really anyone who has it all? I think at the end of the day, if you have you can pay your bills, have a family or people who care and love you, you are pretty lucky.