What being rich means now.

How do you say one is rich?

Before it was quite easy, he has the best clothes, best house, the only car in the barrio(provincial city), they have maids that call them "Senyorita" or "Dona." Come the late 90's it was still more or less the same, similar parameters but just different manifestations. Being rich was measured more by the material things you have and its elevation of one's status in society.

for some reason, calling someone rich was having lots of zero's on ones paycheck or that he can change expensive watches everyday of the week or she has a 3 million peso bag. Hell, I use to want to own my own Island, with matching Yacht that fits 2 ski's and a helipad. I would imagine myself being seen by the people I know so busy, that I'm flying here, always on the move, always on the phone for work, somehow that vision of activity made me feel that is how it feels to be successful, you very much needed everywhere that the minutes of you day is not enough. Plus the fact you fly on your own jet, driven in a chauffeured limo, had a diamond studded phone completed the picture. Yes, I did achieve that (not the jet,not the limo but still chauffeured ford vehicle, the diamond on the phone just as an exaggeration) , I use to boast that I was doing ten thousand things in one day, I thought I had achieve the life I wanted and then I realize I didn't have one. Slowly, it was the realization, that yes I do want to do ten thousand things in my life, but not the terms I initially placed myself in. I would like to fly on my private jet, but to go on a vacation, I would like to be completely busy but not to the point it defines me.

I now pray for happiness instead of riches, I ask for comfortability to an extent that I would have enough for my kids tuition and to have a simple vacation when I want it. I've heard some big hitting CEO's their life is a drive on an 8 million peso car to the office, sit their ass on a 100K office chair for some posture reason, work and be back to their 100M home, they don't have anything but work. Luxury now is not to be able to afford expensive things or vacation, its the time and contentment to enjoy them. What is the use of a 100 million house if you cannot enjoy it cause you're alone. What's the use of having $1000 satin sheets when you can't sleep cause you don't know where you're husband or wife is. What's the use of having foie gras, lobsters, beluga caviar and champagne if you can't eat it because there's no friends to drink with you.

So what does it mean to be rich... its up to you, again everything is subjective.

PS. Its funny that what it means to have lot in numerical value depends so much on the number of zero's which we know means nothing.