Those things that you so casually dismiss, Harold, would actually help many of us.

“Too often, people make the mistake of believing that if they only had more money or more sex or a different partner or a better looking body, they would feel the sense of "wholeness" they have always craved. Virtually without exception, this is not the case. What is actually lacking is the dimension of giving and kindness as a means of nourishing the soul. To add this dimension to your life is to nourish your soul.”
—Harold Kushner

I only agree with this to a point. I have just enough money to scrape by, but when I was living with my parents in Fayetteville, I had a little more money. I wasn’t rich by any means—I was still poor by American standards—but I didn’t fear homelessness, and I was never in danger of running out of groceries by the end of the month. I also had a little extra to spend on things like plants and flowers for the yard, holiday decorations, socks and underwear. Those things did make me happy. I was happier then. I was.

I was also significantly thinner and in better shape. No, I certainly did not look like a 21-year-old fashion model. In fact, I was still a little chubby. And, of course, I dreamed of being young and beautiful, but I still felt better than I do now, and I was happier.

I remember getting laid, and sometimes that was awkward, and no, sex is not the be-all and end-all of life. But getting some can be nice. Going decades without, not so nice.

I think these people who tell you that what you have is enough and that happiness is merely an attitude probably do have enough. They may not be millionaires, but they probably have enough to keep them from being scared. They may not have the kind of looks that would sell magazines, but they’re probably in decent shape, and they probably have some admirers. They’re probably getting it fairly regularly, too. So it’s easy for them to tells us to be satisfied with what we have.