[at-l] Can money buy happiness article

[ellen at clinic.net (Bob C.)]

Happiness is the freedom to do those things one enjoys doing. I was lucky. For
30 years I earned my living at a job I loved, helping to protect land and the
natural environment.

 I liked it so much in fact, that I kept right on doing it after I retired. I
 didn't retire from work, just from having to use that work to earn money. But
 nothings perfect. My "happiness" job didn't pay much money and offered an even
 meagerer retirement.

So I was unhappy when my 10 year old van broke down this spring and required a
fourth thousand dollar repair job in a year.

Luckily, I had developed the habit over the decades of picking up a few tiny
pieces of pretty wood land that I liked. I gave one of these pieces to our land
trust and to my surprise the appreciated value of the gift kept me from having
to pay income taxes for five years.

We close on the sale of a second on Friday, which means I'll be able to pay for
the car I bought to replace the van. The buyer is a good friend of our land
trust. Part of the attraction for him is the abutting 250 acres of land trust
preserve.

I haven't told him yet. But we are going to let him enjoy his purchase for a few
months before we ask him to consider donating his new property to buffer that
preserve that he loves so much.

Weary