I’ve Been A Millionaire

It’s true. I have been a millionaire. In fact, I have been a multimillionaire. The only problem is that currency I had in such abundance was not the Canadian dollar. It was the Turkish lira in 1999. At that time a million Turkish lira were worth about $3.50 Canadian.

I was in Turkey teaching computer courses at the Canadian embassy in Ankara. The assignment lasted a month.

While I was there, I stayed at the Sheraton Hotel. By the end of my stay, my hotel bill was in the billions. There were so many zeros after the few numbers that it almost looked like the printer was in shock.

I even brought some million-lira bills back to Canada to give to people as stocking stuffers. At first they were impressed with their newfound wealth. Then they discovered how little the million lira was actually worth.

In life I have found people to be like that. The ones who are really worth a lot are not the ones who appear to be the most valuable with plenty of zeros after their character. It is the strong, silent ones that are often the most valuable.

A good example is my penpal, Marie-Jeanne. We have written for over 40 years. It has been nothing flashy, mostly a Christmas letter once a year. That friendship has endured and its strength was confirmed when she and her family visited recently. There isn’t much display or fanfare, but we just know that it is there, solid as a rock.

I was recently talking to a friend about cars. I was telling him that I hope one day to buy one that I really want, not just one I can afford. I told him that I want to buy a Jaguar. My reasoning is that people often buy cars to make a statement. They want something that will shout to everyone that they are rich, famous or very successful. A Jaguar doesn’t shout anything. It whispers very quietly that you don’t have to play this game. You simply have a car that defies comparison.

I can honestly say that my good friends are like Jaguars. They are not like Turkish lira – a lot of numbers with little worth.