Money, Mexican Food, and Happiness

“Maybe money really does buy happiness!” I exclaimed as I sat across from my friend sipping a margarita and gorging myself on chips and salsa.

Earlier that day my perfect plan was to spend the evening pulling weeds and mowing the lawn. As the day went on, my headache increased as my allergies decided to kick in. Yard work was appearing less and less appealing.

I pulled in behind my house after work and saw someone mowing my neighbor’s yard. Maybe he would mow mine too.  My internal dialogue kicked in as I shamed myself for being unbelievably lazy and potentially wasting money on something I could easily do myself. Nevertheless, I stepped over toward him and he turned off the mower as I inquired about his availability. We were part way into the conversation when we both took off our sunglasses. “Oh! I know you!”  He is a great musician at the church I attend and we have been part of the same team on Sunday morning multiple times.  Suddenly this seemed like a divine moment. I get a lot of joy giving business to people that I know and trust and it was a perfect excuse to nurse my allergies and do something more enjoyable with my time. And I had some tip money that I could easily part with.

This led me to a free evening available for friendship and Mexican food. And there was laughter, so much laughter!

Yes, maybe money really does buy happiness.

A couple of weeks later on the way home from a lovely vacation in Florida, my car broke down at a busy exit on the south side of Atlanta - a used car I had just purchased because my previous car had become an irredeemable money pit. As I tried to finagle my way through the heavy traffic to find a place to check my dying battery, the lights all came on and it locked up. My daughter and I exchanged glances. Welp, that’s that.

I looked up and there was a car repair shop just across the busy street. We had temporarily got separated from our family carpool in the midst of the mess. I called them and they made way toward me and then we stopped traffic as my car was pushed into the repair shop parking lot.

I walked in and asked for some assistance and a young man walked with me outside and immediately diagnosed a completely out of commission alternator.

“Tell it to me straight. How much is this going to cost and how long is it going to take? I am trying to get my family back home to Indiana today.” He took a few minutes to gather an estimate and told me he could get to it and get it back on the road within a few hours.

I told my sisters to go ahead and get back home. I’ve done this trip alone with my kids so many times. My sister offered to stay with me in exchange for one of my kids riding back with her family. I pulled my kids aside to see what they wanted to do. Without hesitation and in full agreement they told me, “We all want to stay with you. We want to be together. We will be fine!” The pent up emotions - of being strong while simply and practically tackling the unfortunate situation mixed with such gratitude for my children - expressed themselves in tears. I felt cared for.

Ultimately, my younger sister and her husband decided to stay with me. “We aren’t going to leave you here alone. What if something else were to happen?” I felt cared for.

The young man fixing my car proudly exclaimed that he had beat his time by 30 minutes when the repair was complete and he knocked $50 off of the bill. I felt cared for.

After paying for the unexpected breakdown, which is not on my budget spreadsheet, I realized that the cost was almost the exact amount I had received in an unexpected reimbursement earlier in the month.

Maybe money really does buy happiness.

Alright, ok. I don’t really believe this. How can I? My life has been one of living paycheck to paycheck, so I actually wouldn’t quite experientially know if money buys happiness.

If money bought happiness I would be miserable and overwhelmed thinking about home improvements I can’t afford and places I want to go. And don’t even get me started on student loans and mortgage payments!

What I do know is that there is great satisfaction in working hard and smart and pursuing dreams and providing. What I do know is there is such comfort in the simple care of family and friends and strangers.

Life is uncertain and hard, filled with so many unknowns, but it is good. I pray my sight increases and I always have the eyes to see the good and the grace- even when the weeds are high and the car breaks down and the numbers don’t add up.

My faith in this area has skyrocketed as I learn more and more everyday to pursue a life free of fear and worry, even though I have every reason to be afraid.

There is immense joy in recognizing provision and having the eyes to see how everything fits together, with faith and gratitude.