What purpose does money serve in your life?

For many years I was much the same as anyone else. One of my central preoccupations was money - coveting it,  fantasizing about it, earning it, slaving for it, calculating it, hoarding it, managing it, spending it, celebrating it, missing it, hating it, despising it, loving it, misunderstanding it. These days, money has its uses to be sure but, I find it mostly a distraction from what's actually of value. Money comes and money goes but my focus is consistently on real wealth, when it is, who or what it is, how it is, where it's hidden and where it lies in plain sight. Today my "money" is in experience and constantly acquiring more, in obsessive and passionate learning, constant questioning to build knowledge, understanding and wisdom and in self-expression which is building my unique value, building my unique wealth. My "money" is in my relationships and in my connections within and without. If money facilitates those things, it is a useful tool, no more, no less. If it does not, it is only metal or  paper or little more than meaningless numbers.

I don't want money, I want value. Value is what makes us wealthy but, we each are and create value which means we each are and create wealth. Money is beside the point of it all.