What I Would Do If I Hit the Lottery

What I Would Do If I Hit the Lottery

Have you ever given any thought to what you would do if you hit the lottery? Boy, I know I sure do! I think about it all the time…but then I rarely buy a ticket. I guess if you are ever going to hit the jackpot, you must first spend a buck to buy a ticket.

My wife and I were married when we were both 20-years old. I was working part time in a grocery store and Steph, my wife, worked in the library at Kent State University. I paid my own way through school, and it was a struggle. We took back wedding presents in order to make ends meet. We raised 4 children to adulthood. I figured up a while back that for almost 20 years of our 43-year marriage, I have worked two jobs. At 63, it really feels like I have had my nose to the grindstone for all my life. Nothing ever came easy, but then…when does it ever?

So, every once and a while…I will fall into fantasy and think what it would be like to not have any bills, to not have to work so hard…maybe even not work at all. I think about making sure my kid’s futures were secure. I wouldn’t lavish money on my kids. I would still want to make sure that they had a work ethic. I wouldn’t want them become snobs, or brats. I would just want to know that when I passed on, my children would be safe.

I would then look around to my extended family, to my nieces and nephews, and invest in their futures. I’d like to go on vacation with my brother and his wife. I’d like to take my wife to Paris. My lottery prize would insure that I could spend more time with my grand children.

I don’t think it would take the entire lottery grand prize to achieve what I have outlined above. I didn’t say I needed a new home, or a fancy car. My wife has enough jewelry already that I call her Sammy Davis Jr. when we get dressed up to go out. Oh, I may fly first class on that trip to Paris…but it would be the first time in my life to fly with enough leg room to avoid leg cramps…I think I have paid my dues.

So, now comes the burning question…what to do with the rest?

I have that figured out too.

We have all endured a night of being sick. Up all night with the flu, or a cold. We have gotten out of bed, and grabbed a blanket and headed for the couch. We flipped on the television to distract us from the pain…and we begin that long, painful wait until morning. In the morning we plan on calling the doctor. We are going to say whatever we need to the doctor’s receptionist to have her squeeze us in for an appointment. We stare at the clock as the minutes s-l-o-w-l-y pass.  We go over in our mind why we put off getting that tooth fixed until if feels like it is about to explode. We promise ourselves that the next time we get a sinus infection; we are going to get something for it before it gets this bad.

For most of us, when those painful nights occurred, we knew that relief was only a phone call away. Later that next day, leaving the drug store with a new prescription in hand; we know we will soon be on the mend. For the vast majority of the world…they don’t see relief come so quickly. For them, there is no phone…there is no doctor. For them, there is no relief.

That’s what I would like to do with the rest of the money…I would like to see if I could provide a little relief. I know that I would not be able to cure the world, but I would be able to help a few. Maybe for just a brief moment, one of the faceless in the world…one of the one’s born in a distant land, or one of the forgotten ones among us…would be able to have a little relief from the pain they are feeling.

Maybe I will buy a ticket this weekend…somebody has to win, right?