If I Were A Rich Man

     “If I were a rich man,

     Yubby dibby dibby dibby dibby dibby dibby dum.

     All day long I’d biddy bibby bum.

     If I were a wealthy man.”

I played Tevye last year. I loved playing with that song. Great fun.

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We took a drive yesterday to the Radnor Lake State Natural Area. Gerrie’s sister Karen is in town and Karen’s son, Josh, recommended we all take a Saturday morning hike at the lake. It was a brisk morning, slightly overcast, but still a good morning for walking.

The lake is located in the southern part of the county and in an area that is considerably more affluent that where we live. This prompted my nephew to ask from the backseat, “Does this make you think of ‘If I Were A Rich Man?’” My first thought was to say not really. Being wealthy, in the monetary sense, is something that I will never be. So I don’t give much thought to it. Yet, something about the question made me stop and think for a moment. What would I do if I were a rich man?

I continued driving towards the lake, pass some incredible homes. Then I thought, this isn’t what I’d want. Sounds odd doesn’t it. But it is true. I don’t think I’d live a big house or drive whatever car one drives when one is wealthy. No, I think if I were a wealthy man I would do quite well in a small house.

I’d use some money to purchase a good amount of land; wooded and pasture. I’d want a nice spring fed stream running though it with maybe a small pond. In a nice stand of trees, not far from the stream or pond, would be an old frame house or maybe a cabin. It would have a few rooms; a parlor, a dining area, one bedroom for Gerrie and I with a second one for guests, and then a room that would be where Gerrie and I would do the things we love to do. There we’d write or draw, maybe a small easel where I’d paint, and there would be a place for me to work on my photography and store my camera gear.

Throughout, our small house would be photographs of our family and friends, of places we’ve traveled and framed prints of some my better photographic efforts. Books would abound and setting about here and there would be the things we’ve collected. This would include those little curiosities that we find during our walks. 

Our front yard would be carpeted with soft green grass and scattered about would be daffodils, blue bells, and a host of other flowers in season. Wildflowers would be to the left and right of some of the paths we’d walk. A wide variety of trees would fill our woods.

This is where I’d live if I were a rich man. But I'm not a rich man.

No wait, I am. But just not in the sense that the world defines it. I am rich because of the family that I am a part of and because of the friends that I share life with. I am rich in the experiences that I had and my dreams are rich with the experiences that I hope to have. And, I am rich because of my faith. My faith keeps me focused on a goal; on a finish line, that is not of this world! With all this, I am a very wealthy man indeed. 

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And about that visit to Radnor Lake, here are a few photos.