A homeless man named Wallace walks through the streets whistling, singing and laughing in merriment. Passers By watch him in awe, asking themselves why this man is so happy. How is it that a man so poor can be so satisfied with his life? Is he mad? Is he on drugs? Wallace was in fact a stable man who did not indulge himself in substances. The only drug he needed was life. It was worth more to him than all the gold and money in the world.
Everywhere he went he saw signs with numbers on them, attempting to measure the value of objects and things that he cared little about. For him there was little meaning in objects. They were not measures of a quality life or a quality soul, they were simply distractions.
Happiness radiated through Wallace like a shield from the cruel world. It was impenetrable and neither homelessness nor poverty could reach him. He was untouchable to the people who scorned him, to the police who harass him and the hunger that plagues him. They were nothing more than a part of the life that he loved so much.
Wallace never lusted for the life that could have been. He never felt cheated in life. How could he? He had the most commodity of them all. A love and happiness that few will experience. Wallace would never trade his happiness, and realized that it could not easily be stolen. People had tried with jeers and prejudice towards him. It never worked.
He slept with his happiness every night. Buried beneath his blanket was a ball of warmth that few possessed. A seismic force of inner tranquility that permeated throughout his being. At nights he dreamed that people begged for his happiness. He looked upon them with sympathetic eyes, realizing that he could not help them. Happiness is not something that could easily be given. It is not found in a dollar bill or a car. It is found from within.
Wallace never felt angry that he was poor and begged for food to eat. He knew that not everyone is destined for a life of luxury. Some are meant to struggle, and Wallace carries this burden without complaint. Rich or poor, Wallace knew that someday we all fade away. That is why he wished to live life to its fullest. To not let a life of poverty get him down.
Wallace defines himself through the many things that he enjoys. Wallace realizes it is what he does that matters and not what he earns. His life is not built from money, but good deeds, love and a kind heart. These are the things that make Wallace a rich man living in poverty. A man that we should all envy, for he has a wealth that can never be taken away.