Most Monday mornings, when the alarm goes off, I think of Oprah Winfrey.
According to Forbes Magazine, Oprah Winfrey was worth 2.7 billion dollars near the beginning of 2012.
And she didn't even make the list of the top 20 richest women in the world for this year. Poor Oprah.
Oprah never has to work another day in her life if she so chooses. And she pretty much has access to anything or anyone, including the President of the most powerful nation on the planet. But that is another post.
Now I have read enough about lottery winners and the very rich to know mega money has its challenges.
I know; someone reading this is already saying give me those challenges, I would be happy to deal with them.
But to be fair, if you were Oprah rich it would be very hard to know who your real friends are. People would constantly be trying to work their way into your inner circle. And not because they love and care about you but because they are hoping you will write them a couple of checks.
I heard Oprah tell a story once about how she got an "emergency" phone call in the middle of taping a show. When she got to the phone it was a family member asking her to talk to the Mercedes dealership because they had the dire need to drive away in a new car on her dime.
I happen to believe in most cliches and I am sure it is very lonely at the top.
Being mega rich would also take incredible self control.
Besides working out and a couple of things in regard to your personal hygiene, you could pretty much hire someone to do anything and everything else.
I have to wonder if I would forget how to cook, do my own makeup and hair, clean, and drive.
Would you even sign birthday cards and purchase gifts or would someone else do that for you?
I am afraid I might end up like Jabba the Hut or the people in the movie Wall E.
I have also decided I would never want to be rich due to celebrity. Too much exposure and too many cameras.
I think the character in the movie About a Boy is the kind of rich I would like to be.
He is living off the royalties from a Christmas song his Dad wrote.
He is comfortable enough to have a lot of freedom and access but not so rich he has scammers and paparrazi camped outside his door.
I don't have to drive too far to find people who appear to be living in more prosperous circumstances. I also don't have to drive too far to find people who are not. I see them downtown everyday.
Someday when this life is over, there are things I will miss.
Paying bills and trying to figure out how to get my finite resources to stretch will not be one of those things.
But even more I thank the Supreme Being that I live in America. A country where a woman can own a home and get an education.
I know there are women in this world that only dream of having the freedom and opportunity I enjoy.
I feel I have been able to live the American Dream. I think Oprah would say the same.
Next Monday, when my alarm goes off, I might wish again I was Oprah Winfrey and I could decide whether I wanted to continue to work or not.
But later in the morning, when I say my prayers, I will thank God I live in America.
Happy Independence Day.
