I told her that financial security had given me more choices, including the choice to keep doing work I respected.

She sounded surprised.

I was not.

I had finally begun to understand that a full life wasn’t measured only by how much could be purchased or given away.

It included the ways I used my mind and contributed to others.

That night, as I switched off my office lamp, I remembered Grant saying I had no idea what it took to keep our family comfortable.

I no longer needed to argue with the memory.