“You get what you pay for.” I’ve heard that line many times over the years. We think that if we don’t pay a substantial price for something, it isn’t worth much. Sometimes there is truth in the saying. But who doesn’t love to hear, “No charge!” How does that work with the also old axiom, “The best things in life are free?” Well, it doesn’t really. But that’s okay.

I don’t need to go far to find what I don’t pay for. My often-romantic husband will call me away from cooking, reading or watching television in order to take my hand, lead me outside, put his arm around my shoulder, and point to a full moon that is crisscrossed by my barren winter tree branches—or is peeking between leaves from my summer trees. Then he says, “Isn’t it beautiful?” No charge!

When shopping or running errands, I will pass a person who smiles and nods his head—as if acknowledging an acquaintance. But he is not. I never met him before. It evokes a return smile from me and fills me with a positive outlook on my fellow man and a cared about feeling that impacts the rest of my day. No charge!

On my morning walk, a breeze caresses my arm and causes green leaves in the trees to rustle, garnering my attention. I observe a neighbor’s daffodils catch that breeze in their yellow bonnets and give way—as if nodding to me. No charge!!

There is nothing—nothing—like the smell of brewing coffee wafting all the way up the stairs and into our bedroom—and the.first taste of hot coffee in the morning is to die for. It’s even better when my husband makes it and brings it to me in bed. (I don’t think I’m going to let go of him.) No charge!

On some snow-covered mornings I gaze out my window and notice a black bird perched on the top of a massive pine. Why is it there, and where is it going? I observe its mate fly over and land just a few branches lower, disturbing the snow and causing it to cascade to the next branch – and the next – until a vertical stripe of the tree is green again. The birds fly together to their next destination, leaving me with my questions. No charge!

It is true that in the world of commerce you often get what you pay for. Even sales must be scrutinized to determine if inferior material is displayed in order to fool the public into purchasing—or that a sale price is the regular price for ten months of the year. But it is also true that the best things in life are free. And it is okay to hold both these concepts in one’s mind. But don’t forget to notice the “No charge!” These things bring contentment, evoke smiles, and keep our hearts warm in what can be a cold world.