Enclave For Rich People

Vero Beach
27 39.80 N 080 22.39 W


I've been thinking about Fisher Island where we anchored last week, and about the fact that it has the highest per capita income of any place in the USA.   How bizarre I thought that those people chose to live in such an environment.


My question of the day, if we were to win a lottery and suddenly become rich, would we change our life style to become like those other rich people?


Foremost, money does not buy happiness.  Right now, Libby and I are just about as happy as we can be.   Even Jenny made a remark to that effect during her recent visit.  I think it is safe to presume that we are happier than most of those rich people living in their enclaves. 


Second, we surround ourselves by the wonderfully contented, happy, helpful, and friendly people in the world -- other cruisers.   On Fisher Island I imagine being surrounded by people who clawed their way to the top in a dog-eat-dog world.  


The above notwithstanding, we haven't lived in the shoes of the super rich. We haven't experienced the constant pressure from others eager to get their hands on our money.  Perhaps the enclave is actually a refuge from an external world hostile to the rich.  


A bit of humility is in order.  We like what we have.  We consider ourselves lucky. That does not entitle us to feel superior to any others, especially when we have never walked in their shoes.