Brass

We recently spent time in a big home.  The average size of Australian homes was for a while and until recently, actually bigger than American homes.  The owner was away.  Big house, big yard and a big swimming pool.
Being rich trumps being poor every time.  I know it is not the case in all instances, but so often being rich is more of a curse than a blessing.  Often the richer someone becomes, the more tightly they hold on to things, and the greater the fear of losing everything.
I saw a cartoon of a guy dancing on a desk and someone asks, “you didn’t win the lotto again did you Jones?”  And I heard about another instance where someone was housesitting for a rich neighbour and enjoying the place so much more than the owner ever did.
It really brings home a truism for me.  A change of circumstance does not mean a change of attitude.  So often the dream seems to be when I do this, or get this, I will be happy.  All I need to do is have sea change, or a tree change, and I will be happy.
The thing for me is, no matter where I go, I always take me with me.  Unless I change, then nothing will change.  There is no doubt I will be distracted for a while.   I can become engaged in something new.  But whatever it is, what is new becomes old.  The location or circumstance may be different, but as the heart remains the same, nothing changes.
I have seen more often than I would like, people have a major change of circumstance with no real change of personality.  It can be an unexpected medical issue.  What has been done wrong in the past has led to a crisis.  After the crisis, changes are made, and then old habits return.  What caused the crisis in the first place is returned to.  Nothing changes.  Or someone comes into money unexpectedly.  I knew someone who was really surprised when they came into something and of course everyone helped them spend it till they had nothing.
To me, who I am matters more than what I have.  I would rather have a lot.  However I am not convinced that makes me a better person.  If that were true, the richest people in the world would be the nicest.  The ability to make money is a great quality to have as long as it is accompanied by other desirable qualities.  It seems though rich folk are like all other strata’s of society.  There are good and bad ones.
There is nothing like visiting someone in hospital who does not have long, to help me sort out my priorities.  I sometimes wonder if mine are inverted.  My top five priorities are important to me, but I really need to order them in importance and make that the basis of my actions.
Having brass is good, but it can be wasted.  Life can be great for a while, but often the status quo is returned to.  I may or may not have more things, but nothing really changes unless I change.