Yippee! My housemate paid me part of the rent, and I'm wealthy beyond my wildest dreams.

Okay, maybe I'm fabulously rich.

Well, since you insist, I'm moderately well off.

All right, all right, I now have enough to pay the bills (especially the utilities) and take a friend out to lunch. I can make ends meet, with a little left over.

Must you deflate the balloon of my imagination?

Another 10 days and I'll have my social security. Each time I get it, I think of all the money I paid in over the years, and remind myself that I earned it--it's not a freebie from the gov'mnt and I'm not a freeloader.

And yes, I pay income tax and for Medicare.

What makes me truly wealthy, though, is my extended community (that's you!), my circle of friends, and a loving heart.