I bought a Powerball lottery ticket back in July when we were visiting Megan for her birthday. Now before you get all excited, I didn’t win $100,000. I always try to buy one when we are in a state that has a lottery. My usual purchase is to get a computer picked number for 5-10 draws (to prolong the agony). This last ticket I got, the lady goofed it up a bit, she gave me 5 computer selected numbers for 1 draw. Oh well, no big deal. When the numbers were drawn that night I was mildly surprised to see that the first set of numbers had two matching number, a number and the Powerball – wahoo – I figured it up to be about $20. I stuck in my purse to take it with us to cash in while we were in Gatlinburg, figured we could use the cash to ride the go carts once or twice. I was slightly more surprised when the lady redeeming the ticket said it had won $35. Considering the go carts were $8 a person to ride, it gave us just a bit more.
Since the Powerball had just hit the big jackpot, I decided not to get a ticket while I was redeeming the “winning” ticket. On the way back to Alabama, we stopped at our favorite place to stop for gas before heading into Alabama and I bought a MegaMillions ticket there.
I know that buying lottery tickets is nothing more than a pipe dream, but I still do every now and then. Now don’t color me stupid, if I won the millions I wouldn’t turn it down, but in reality, I’d rather have about $100,000 (after taxes). It would go to paying off bills, cars, put some in the bank and maybe take that big vacation we have always wanted to take. And then I probably would also be able to work part-time instead of 14-16 hours a day, 7 days a week.
But I know it’s never going to happen, just like there is not pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, there are no benevolent benefactors, or philanthropists that are going to send that kind of money my way. I’m just an average Jane, with the same story millions of other people have. There is nothing special that makes my desire stand out or make it worthy of anyone attention.
In the mean time, I’ll get my head out of the clouds and my feet back on the ground because I have work to do.