I dont believe I am confusing happiness with monetary wealth. I believe where you stand depends upon where you sit.
I grew up in a very upper middle class area back East. It was at least as wealthy as Carmel Valley if not more so. When my wife and I were in grad school we rented a home in a lesser area. One of her friends commented that we lived in a “white trash area”. My response to her friend (besides being appaled she would use such language) was that most of my friends considered her to be white trash based upon where she grew up.
My best friend then married someone from the upper class area. She wouldnt live in his hometown because she considered it a lesser area. Being rich is all relative and depends upon your expectations. If you have enough money to enjoy your life on your own terms, you are rich in my book. The rest is all window dressing.
