If I had all the money in the world...

I have been thinking about my relationship with money recently. Just when I think all the finances are in order some crisis seems to occur, something gets broken in the car, an unexpected house expense just pops up, etc., etc. (sound familiar?) And I find myself overly stressed, vowing to reduce my spending (never ever to shop for clothing again) and usually end up breaking the vow simply due to boredom by buying something really unnecessary like another bottle of nail polish, which I definitely do not need.

It got me thinking, what if I had all the money in the world, what would I do? What's my millionaire list?

• I would buy a house, get 3 cats, 2 dogs and make and adopt tons of kids.
• I would buy a house for my parents, my in-laws, my brother, my cousins, my aunts and uncles, and probably for some of my friends.
• I don't see myself investing in a fancy car, BUT I would get the latest coolest eco-friendly car on earth.
• In fact, I just changed my mind about buying a house for myself, I would have it built from scratch with the latest eco-technology, sustainable, healthy and modern, with tons of windows. And then cats, dogs and kids, (and maybe chicken?). Yes, I like this better :)
• I would then build a Martha Stewart-like garden with all edible and non-edible plant beauties. In my super large kitchen, I would cook feasts using all fresh organically grown ingredients.
• Did I mention a zen garden with indoor and outdoor yoga space right next to the house? :) I would practice yoga, invite famous teachers in for classes, and offer classes. I don't think I can live without teaching. That has to stay.
• I would pamper myself like crazy, massages, pedicures, bodywork, and tons and tons of retreats in tropical locations :)
• I would travel, preferably with my husband, cats, dogs and the kids.
• Once a year I would spend a month in New York city, savoring all the art events, yoga, food and friends.
• I would have my family and friends come visit us all the time.

That's about it. I can't think of anything else I'd like to own other than a house and a car. Or anything else I'd like to have. And if I think about all the things above, I feel like I have them already. I may not have my own garden but  I can walk to a farmer's market. I recycle like a mad person (including the tiny paper edges of tea bags) and do anything and everything I can in an eco-friendly way. I travel with my husband at least 3-4 times a year. My family, cousins and friends seem to be doing well, they all have good houses to live in :) I could use seeing them more often but facebook, twitter, viber help, and we get tons of overnight guests which I love. I get pampered, my husband is getting much better at offering massages. My life is surrounded with yoga, I got to work with some amazing yoga teachers and continue to learn from my students as well as the inspiring men and women around me. The cats, dogs and kids part is a work in progress :) But my neighbor's cats now learned to greet me. As they lounge in front of my neighbor's door under the sun, they send angry glances my way :) And I and my husband made our first almost-one-year-old friend, our friends' son Bora is teaching us all sorts of new things.

So life isn't so bad.

And I refuse to worry about something as trivial as money. Especially when spring is in the air and I just saw a tree full of blooming flowers. Some things that brought me here, to this particular state in my life, were my choices, like choosing to live in the US. Some were meant to be, like feeling yoga touch the core of my being, knowing I need my freedom, the four walls of an office or working for something I don't believe in won't do. I made my peace with all of that.

Love,

Damla