Envy

So here I am, midlife, semi crisis. To be completely honest, at this point in my life I don't want many things. I don't want a fancy car, I have NO desire for a big house, don't want a boat or a plane. All I want is to have a little place to live and the freedom to take photos and do a bit of traveling (to make more photos). I just want to experience life and shoot along the way. Material things for the most part don't do anything for me. I do admit I love having a nice guitar and a good stereo... Everything else is just "stuff". With that said, today I was going to have lunch and needed to stop by the ATM. With work being extremely slow, as I'm hitting the $40 selection on the screen, I'm thinking (or trying to convince myself) of how much I love living the life of a starving artist. I glance up and notice that the person before me left their receipt. I pull it out and take a look. I suddenly feel a rush of sadness. A cloud of envy comes over me. I pause, staring at this little piece of paper and check my emotions. In defense of my own bleak financial state I instantly build a scenario ... This person is probably miserable. Yeah, that makes me feel better. It's a miserable old person living in a dark, dank, dingy apartment. They've saved all their money and done nothing with it. No traveling, no beautiful treasures, no life experiences. Nothing to show for living their life of frugality. Now they're sad and alone with nothing but a pile of money...big deal. Shit, that didn't work... I still feel envious.