Money Can't Buy Happiness
Money can't buy happiness
for me happiness
Such an elusive emotion
I'm not sad or depressed
But can not say I'm extremely
happy either
When my son was still in nappies
I took him out to the park
taught him to hold his arms together
and gently lobbed the ball into his arms
It didn't take long
Before he could catch the ball
standing only
a couple of feet away
I taught him to hit the ball
With a bat
every weekend
We had a ritual
of going out to the park
or the museum
Every night when I put him to bed
I would read several golden books
So by the time he was ready to start school
He could already hit a ball well
When he tried out for the cricket team,
he hit the ball for a six
All the other kids said, "Wow."
From then on, he loved cricket
By spending time reading books
When it came time to start school
He already knew how to read
to a certain extent
He understood what the teachers said
and did well at school
Getting A's, he never had to study
reading something once
That was enough for him
His teachers forever wanted
to take him up to a higher level
Today, he still loves cricket
He has a job and a wife of his own
I guess happiness is built on success
Hitting that ball for a six
Got the admiration of his peers
leading to a life where he loved cricket
which he still has to this day
Happiness is built on attitude and success
and limited by how high you set your goals
I know another person
That forever sets her goals too high
She has to be the best
If she is not the best
She gives up
because she sees herself as a failure
She keeps telling herself
"I'm useless."
Repeating time after time
"I'm stupid, I'm useless."
"What's the point in trying?"
Time after time, I've tried to help
When you set your targets too high
You set yourself up for failure
You can't always be the best
But you can improve,
On what you did yesterday
When you first learn to drive a car
You make mistakes, and you are not a good driver
To become a good driver takes experience
and attitude.
That goes with everything in life
The reason my son could hit the ball
It was because he had experience
The acclamation of his peers
rewarded him for success
Success gave him a love of cricket
The love of cricket gave him happiness
Expecting to be the best
sets people up for failure
Failure makes them feel stupid
Feeling stupid gives them a reason to give up
Money can't buy happiness
But it pays for dancing lessons
The love of dancing
builds fun, fun creates happiness
Copyright © Bernard Barclay | Year Posted 2020
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