Money can buy happiness

In India, whenever you decide to buy something – bike, car, or even a house, the first thing Indian parents ask is “Will it be easy to clean? How often will you clean it? What if you don’t clean it?…”. This will be followed by the recollection of everything we’ve bought until then, but never cleaned. They might be suffering from Alzheimer’s or have poor vision. But, it never stops them from remembering the day you’ve not cleaned your car or spotting a speck of dust on the dashboard.

The same happened to me when I bought my car in 2016. Instead of worrying about my driving skills, my mom was worried about how often would I clean the car! And, being a lazy person, I cleaned the car once every three months. It was a quarterly thing for me. But, expectations were that I clean it every week. Also, every time I cleaned my car, it rained. So, I thought, “Why do it twice?”. But, I took real care of how my car looked and felt inside. It never smelled, had used tissues, or any garbage. It always smelled fresh.

But, nothing stopped my mom from complaining. She reminded me to clean the car every weekend and used to scold me every time she got into the car. Also, whenever a shiny looking car passed by, she’d point out and say “I’m really not comfortable traveling in a dirty car”. It was a nightmare. Sometimes, it ruined the good mood of a trip.

So, when we moved into a gated society recently, I found a person who cleaned cars for a small fee. Considering all the stupid, useless things I spend my money on, I decided to hire him. He cleans my car every day (except for Sundays) and cleans the interior once a month. The car looks clean and shiny now. And, my mom stopped making a fuss.

A lot of books and quotes say, “Money can’t buy happiness”. But, in my case, it was the opposite. Money brought me happiness and peace of mind.