Richer is Better

The last of the sunset, as seen from the porch of the Chebeague Island Inn.

Conventional wisdom tells us that Money Can't Buy Happiness. This myth exists so all the people without money, i.e. almost everybody, will feel better about being poor, but I learned yesterday that money can and actually does buy happiness. The truth of this revealed itself to me while aboard a boat belonging to friends who graciously invited my husband and me for an afternoon sail on the Casco Bay.

All we had to do was step onto the boat and in minutes we were transported to another world, one inhabited by other people who own boats and people who live in fabulous houses on private islands, far from the crush of humanity. The air was clearer and cooler. The wind caressed our skin. We drank deeply from the well of prosperity, along with a bottle of scotch and another of French wine.

Later, our dinner at a fancy inn on a high-brow island was followed by an almost-midnight cruise back to our home harbor. It was awesome, nothing but sea and stars. Once back home, I slept better than I have in months. For me it was a rare treat; for our friends, it was something they do whenever they want, and have for years.

Boats cost money. They do make you happy. See, money does buy happiness.