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It's such an old cliche but the best things in life really are free!

It doesn't matter how much money you have in the bank, what model car you drive or what magnificent home you live in, there truly are no comparisons to the joys we receive at the hand of Mother Nature and in the faces and actions of the people we love.

Having money in the bank is so important. Most of us are living just a pay cheque away from real trouble and the stress of financial worries can bring devastation to a relationship. Money in the bank therefore brings us a sense of security, and of safety. Driving our racy new automobile can bring us enormous pride in our achievements, however once you park that beautiful new car in the garage and go back to your life, that feeling of exhilaration is short-lived. The same applies to our homes. We decorate them with the finest and most expensive furniture and ornaments and feel immensely proud of our achievements, and bask in the compliments we receive. All of these material things bring us momentary pleasure, but they cannot possibly bring us the feeling we crave the most - joy!

Joy is that almost indescribable feeling you get in the deepest part of your inner self, usually a fleeting emotion, a feeling of being at home, of peace, a feeling of pure, undiluted happiness. When I experience joy it is so momentary that I yearn for it to come again. It's a feeling that's almost inexplicable, but I'm going to try to describe how it feels to me.

The one thing I have learned is that the feeling of joy will never come from material possessions. It comes at the most unexpected and normal everyday moments in your life, such as when your child looks at you and smiles the sweetest smile, and your heart brims over with love for this smaller version of you. It comes when you stand outside in the evening and look towards the night sky and realize just how great this world is that we live in; that across the miles people of from all nations are themselves looking upwards, and that together we're all part of this huge wonderful world we live in. It comes when you pick a flower from your own garden and study the perfection of this beauty that was once just a seed. It comes when you sit with your dog by your side and then realize that he is looking at you, loving you, without condition. It comes after the rains when your whole world is glistening in the aftermath of a summer shower and all the plants are clean and alive with shiny new leaves.

As I write these words it reminds me again that we live in a world of absolute beauty and perfection. We just have to take the time to look, and listen. If you stand outside your home and quietly listen to nature you will be amazed at the sounds and smells you've never taken the time to notice.

All of these gifts have been given to us - free! Now we just need to accept them.

Learn more about this author, Buffy.
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