Money Talks and Sunday Walks

I was on one of my usual Sunday evening walks with a friend. Now, my Sunday walks are almost like a ritual, but I like switching things up, like walking with different people, having new conversations, and catching fresh perspectives, you know. i will be real lol I’ve got no poetic love story with the sunset; in fact, I’m a sunrise person. But, hey, no one wants to walk with the sun beating down on them, right?

As we walked, we started talking about money when I brought up that I had a loan due, which was already three days overdue, and I was dodging the person who loaned it to me. It was one of those things I felt the need to defend, or maybe hide, just a little. But my friend, without a hint of hesitation, looked at me and said, “It’s just money. Pay it when you can.”

That’s when he hit me with his personal philosophy on the matter: “Money is valueless to me.” I was stunned. And honestly? It struck me as one of the most immature things I’d heard all day. So, I pushed back a little, not aggressively, just enough to make a point. “Look, maybe money isn’t the most important thing in life. But with money, we can get the things we need. We get what we want. It makes life easier.”

He shrugged it off, maintaining his "it is worthless" stance. But here’s the thing: it’s that kind of mindset that keeps us poor not just in our bank accounts but in how we approach life and what we’re willing to work for.

It’s like Jim Rohn once said, “Be serious.” If you go through life acting like everything is a joke, then you’ll be seen as a joker. And while humor has its place, some things in life are serious. Money is one of them. Knowing when to be serious about it? That’s very important.

I’ll be honest: I like money, imean, love. It’s not an obsession or an end-all, but I’ve learned that money solves problems—real problems. And yes, it can even make me happy. Not because it’s everything, but because it makes life less complicated. Now, I’m not saying money can buy everything. Money doesn’t buy health; it doesn’t buy more hours on the clock, and it certainly doesn’t get you God’s grace. Those are things we don’t get to choose, and they’re priceless.

But when it comes to life’s choices? Money gives us options. With it, we can buy the things we need—houses, clothes, maybe even a certain level of respect. The more money you have, the more choices you have, and the easier it becomes to live on your terms. You can afford what you want.

Ariana Grande nailed it in her song: “Whoever said money can’t solve your problems must not have had enough money to solve ’em.” She didn’t say it because she’s superficial—she said it because it’s real. Happiness, she sang, is the same price as red bottoms. And I think most people get that: it’s not about the red bottoms; it’s about having the freedom to choose them if that’s what makes you happy.

Here’s the reality: most of our sadness, our so-called “problems,” and the issues that hit our self-esteem? They come from not having enough money to solve what’s broken. If you think about it, out of 100 problems, maybe 97 of them could be solved with money. Now, those other three? Sure, money won’t help, but three problems out of a hundred is a pretty solid percentage.

So when people tell me, “Money doesn’t matter,” I get where they’re coming from. But I also think they’re missing the point. For most of us, money means freedom; it’s the freedom to choose, the power to say “yes” when it counts. Money can’t buy everything, but it can buy you options. And, honestly, options matter. and as usual, this is miyas thought