Some of you may know that I'm a personal assistant/organizer for a few very wealthy families here in Nashville. But for all their wealth and privilege, they are still, at the end of the day, just as human as the rest of us, with all the quirks, problems, issues, bad habits and faults that we all struggle with. They have homes of such extravagance and beauty that they're featured in House Beautiful The 8 year old's room One of the outside patios (there are 4 separate areas outside for entertaining, lounging and poolside sitting.) The den/family room Thumbnails of other rooms/areas They have enormous amounts of well designed closet space ...............that they just clutter up. They devote entire rooms to their hobbies Yet they're even more anal than me about clutter and want their counters absolutely free of any and all appliances! They attend regular White Tie "Country Club Set" events. ................overseen by royalty ................where cost isn't a consideration Yet they still can't manage to keep their night stands in order. They have silver services to rival the Queen's! And quirky pets They have rooms in three million dollar homes that guests are never allowed to enter because they're a mess. But they have ex-presidents as Godparents. Working with these folks has given me a unique perspective that I'm grateful for. It's easy to be intimidated by this class of people, the wealth, the largesse, the social circles in which they move, the lifestyles of extravagance and excess. No, my home and my life is nothing like theirs. But yes, they're just people. They agonize over the things we all agonize over. They have children or sisters or cousins who are addicts. They struggle with clutter. They have abusive relatives and family tragedies. They have parents who are hoarders. They can't get their you know what together no matter how much money they throw at any given problem. They stress just as much about what they're going to wear to that Swan Ball as I do about what I'm going to wear to my dance studio's Christmas party. The difference is they'll travel to New York and spend $25,000 - $50,000 on a dress, whereas I will go to my local discount department store and shop the sales or clearance rack. Money isn't everything, doesn't buy everything. I sometimes joke about the fact that while money doesn't buy happiness, it sure makes misery easier. But really, it doesn't. I've seen it up close and personal. Though our circumstances may be worlds apart and what we angst over is very different in specific, these folks are just as happy, or just as sad, or just as depressed, or just as stressed, as me or any of my friends and acquaintances. Our frames of references can be as different as night and day, but the fact of having issues and emotions and stresses and problems is the same. This line of work has been quite an education and an eye opener for me. It has helped bolster my confidence and self-esteem to discover that my clients and I share way more commonalities than you would think just by looking. They're a strange bunch sometimes, but I've learned a lot working for and with them.
So Ronni, who is happier--you or your rich clients? You (and most of us here on the Stew) have something they can't buy--contentment.
My dad always said " no matter who they are they still put their pants on one leg at a time" A few other things too, but not necessarily repeatable on here, but very accurate none the less. I'll still take my humble home any day over a million dollar headache. I have never had the need to acquire stuff or a huge house (the bigger it is the more time you spend cleaning). It is beautiful in the mag photos, but it just isn't where I would spend my time and they wouldn't want me with my dirty hands and icky shoes. They would really invite me to stay home...my home, not theirs , thank you very much.
Absolutely fascinating Ronni,so thank you for sharing your insights. One of the things I learnt is that (and it isn't the money ) I have something in common with the people in the pictures- I also have an entire room devoted to my hobby! Seriously though I would imagine that it must be a huge strain keeping up appearances to the extent they do and judging by the amount of clutter they don't seem to appreciate what they have and that is very sad.
While I can admire large, expensive houses like those ones I would never want to live in one. I'm more than happy with my little 17th century cottage. I'd feel uncomfortable in a house that size and would be chasing my tail all day, every day, trying to keep it clean. My house is a home where everyone is welcome as long as they take me as they find me. I find it strange that, even with all the space these houses have in them, the people living there still manage to have rooms that are so untidy.
It would be lovely to be able to afford anything I wanted. In my own experiences, the more money you have, the more 'stuff' you have, the more headaches you have. I'll keep my simple life thank you very much
As I was gathering up my dirty laundry this morning I thought...."the more you have the more you have to take care of" as I was walking down my really short hallway that to get to the laundry room right off the kitchen...no steps, no fuss, no muss area, BUUUUT my laundry room/pantry isn't presentable for a picture, either . EVERYTHING get stuffed in there. The card making, photo album stuff, scrapbooking, cookbook book shelf, small appliances ironing board etc....washer, dryer, dirty clothes. The dog goes in and comes out that door so the floor is needing wiped if my children let her in (because they might wipe her feet, but not the floor ) ..... Well, the smaller and less I have the better off I am. I can spend more time outside or in the greenhouse.
My husband always says "all you need is what you've got" We both have rich customers too. We have commented on the same topic, that they must be smart enough to make their money, but don't really seem to have their act totally together. I guess it's different priorities? But we like the wealthy, because they have the disposable income to hire the likes of us!
I'd love to have a room dedicated to my indoors hobbies. That would be luxury enough for me. I enjoy looking through interior magazines. They often give me ideas I can implement at a smaller scale. The only thing I'd really want more of is ground. I dream of making an arboretum, which I can't make without a good patch of extra land.
