net worth?

Last night my wife and I and friends attended Opera in the Ozarks for a performance of Don Giovanni by Mozart. There were about 15 singers in various roles and a small orchestra of about 10 musicians. The opera director described Opera in the Ozarks as a "pay to play" opera, meaning that the singers and musicians are there either on scholarship, receiving no pay, or have had to pay some portion of their expenses in return for the opportunity to polish their gifts though high level performance.

The experience for most of the students involves roughing it. The experience for viewers also involves a bit of roughing it and discomfort. The auditorium last night was hot, and the seats hard, but the object is not money and comfort, but encouraging young singers in a field in which only a few will discover financial success.

How can I put this? The most valuable things in life are not those things that come with money. And in some cases money can be more of a deterrent to happiness than the lack of money. If the idea of money is to get more of it, so that it can be accumulated in stacks, we've missed the greater meaning of life. The question, "what is your net worth?" should never be measured only in dollars and cents.

I continue to make guitars and am finishing what may be the last two or three in making the book. After the last photos are complete, I'll try to figure out how to move them out into the world to make room for what comes next. To be involved in a creative process is far more valuable than having lots of stuff.

Make, fix, create, and encourage others to learn likewise.