It takes a village to raise a millionaire

I am a wealthy guy. Yesterday I had lunch with a neighbor. He had sought me out as the result of an editorial I wrote for the local paper. He was my tennis partner when I started 20 years ago; we’ve kept our friendship going for nearly 30 years. Then I had coffee with another friend who had fallen on hard times, but is rising from the ashes, with courage, grace and good humor. Then I picked up some CDs at the library, was able to wish happy holidays to my favorite staff member. I hadn’t seen her in ages but we stay in touch by email. She and I go back to the mid-1990s when she helped me research esoteric math formulas for software I was building. Over the years she has been a genius at locating hard to find books or CDs or information of any kind. She, too, has weathered harsh storms in the sea of her personal life, she, too, is a survivor. Another friend, whose home we visited recently, was inside the library, we talked for a few moments, an unexpected bonus. Spending 31+ years resident in our small village surely pays dividends. It takes a village to raise a wealthy guy; I am a millionaire in friends. I hope you are, too.

Happy holidays, happy 2012, and Merry Christmas, dear reader…..