I read a story a few weeks ago about Karl Rabeder, an Austrian millionaire who gave away all this wealth to live in a hut in the mountains. He was just fed up with all the hoopla. So he donated his cash and left everything behind for happiness.

It is a little extreme, but I can see his point. Money complicates things. We are all familiar with the story about the guy who wins the lottery and it ends up ruining his life. When you become rich, everyone wants a piece of you. You don’t know who to trust. Your existing friends feel they can’t relate to you, and you can’t be sure your new friends are really friends at all.

I’ve never been a millionaire, but I’ve had higher times and lower times. And sure, the low times are hard. Like Mae West and others have said, “I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor, and honey, rich is better.” And there’s the bumper sticker: “Whoever said money can’t buy happiness has never been poor.” Some money is a good thing. It’s nice not to worry about how you’re going to clothe yourself and your children. It’s nice not to wonder how you’ll pay for groceries, or what you’ll do if your car breaks down. It’s nice to have health insurance.

But at some point, how much is too much? Recently, Lindsay Lohan filed a lawsuit against E-trade for a commercial that refers to a baby named Lindsay as a “milkaholic.” She wants $100 million for the use of her name and damage to her reputation. In that case, my old college classmate Lindsay should also get a cut, since that’s who I thought of when I saw that commercial. She really loves milk.

There are a lot of celebrity examples of how excess can destroy a person. It is money, more than the drugs and lifestyle it affords, that is their downfall. It takes a strong person to manage vast amounts of wealth. If I do happen to encounter wealth in my lifetime, I think it is a good thing it waited at least this long to confront me.

There must be a happy medium between Karl Rabeder and Lindsay Lohan. If I end up with millions of dollars, I won’t give it all away. I’ll buy an old house in town, one with great potential that needs some love, and I’ll fix it up. I’ll write books. I’ll buy a few antiques. I’ll travel here and there I’ll buy a piano and learn to play it. I’ll pay a single mom a livable wage to clean my house, except my son’s room. He’s on his own there.

I’ll invest for my son’s college and my retirement. I’ll pay off my debts. I’ll put aside an emergency fund. I’ll start a business that contributes to my community’s economy. And then, I’ll have a lot of fun paying it forward. No hut in the hills for me, thanks. But I won’t be suing anyone for using the name Sara Beth, either.

Sara Frederick lives and writes in Lewistown. An archive of The Sara Beth Times is available online at www.sarabethtimes.com.