The Best Things In Life

There's a saying that goes "The best things in life are free." 

Some days, I'm 50/50 about it. 

I mean of course happiness can't be bought but getting your dream house or a vacation in Europe with your entire family can actually bring genuine joy, too. Money doesn't guarantee a happy life but, let's face it, it does help. Perhaps I'm saying this because lately I'm broke (sort of) despite my attempts to save up and it sucks.

On the other hand, as my 24th year of existence approaches, I've come to learn some things. Not science or math or those you get in school. I'm talking about the ones only life itself can teach you. And I've learned that if you stop to notice the things around you, no matter how small, you'd appreciate the world more.

Examples? Libraries. Or reader-friendly bookstores that let you take the plastic seals off their books and read them for free. Also, my friend Wendy and I have this guilty pleasure of hanging out in 7-Eleven just so we can listen to them play old school songs. Ah. Nothing beats an impromptu Backstreet Boys nostalgia. Then there's the free newspaper if you ride the LRT/MRT in the morning. Though you have to go extra gladiator to grab one among the mob of angry commuters, who for some reason still launch at the stand even when they're almost late. (Like me. Haha.) Which brings me to another point: Everybody loves freebies. 

There are things that people enjoy because it don't cost us a centavo like free food tastes in groceries or shampoo samples they hand out in malls but there are things that really are the best because they simply are. Such as nature- The breath-taking scenery of mountains, forests, and oceans. Sometimes I even find myself amazed just by watching cottony wisps of clouds rolling by. Nowadays, I find my Facebook newsfeed filled with rants about the stormy weather. But how many of us are thankful for sunny-windy days when they occur?

What else are the best free things in life? Our friends and families. We didn't buy them but they're our most valued treasures. The same goes to love and God. I'm sure these are what the person thought of when he came up with the saying. At the end of the day, they are what make us happy. At the end of our lives, these are what truly matter.

-Martha