Changing Lanes

A long time ago someone told me that they weren't the same person anymore. It had been 3 yrs since I had seen her and a lot had changed. I didn't believe it at the time. Thought that it was all psycho-babble bullshit way of blowing me off. Now that i think about it she was probably right. She was blowing me off, but she had also changed. I didn't want to accept it till recently, because I thought I hadn't changed, but people do change. I know I have. I used to be a hopeless romantic but I am much more cynical now. I see life much more differently. I see a lot more shades of gray than i would have when I was 18. Maybe at the core I am the same person and I am sure she is too, but life has a way of shaping ...character. All life the character keeps on getting molded to finer and finer details but the base material remains the same.

This realization hit me when i was having a hypothetical argument with my friend about the fact that i would quit working once I had a billion dollars. He said i wouldn't cause i wouldn't be the same person than that i am now. He said i would never make a billion if i planned to quit after that. I argued with him then but the more i think about it the more i think he was right. Its not that having money changes people. I would be perfectly capable of quitting if i won the lottery. But earning my way to that money would take its toll on me, on anyone.

Seven years ago if someone had asked me would you have money or the girl of your dreams i would have answered in a heartbeat. The girl, if you are wondering. But today the same question would be followed by another question. How much money are we talking about giving up??? I just hope at the end of the day the cynic in me doesnt win. I really wouldn't like to live in that kinda scenario.