| 2/21/2006 |
IF I HAD A MILLION DOLLARS
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Someone bought the sole 365 million dollar lottery ticket in Lincoln, Nebraska. When it came on the news I stopped and watched agape. Usually when the lottery winner is announced it is an office full of people in some East Coast blue collar town who now have to split the winnings between 50 people. Which is nice, but not nearly as impressive as a sole winner. One lone person who was fortunate enough to have the computer pick the right numbers for him or lucky enough to pick his own winning numbers. Then to have it been in a place I know and have been makes it feel like such a winning could be even more possible for me, if I was to play.
So I'm a marketing foob. I buy into exactly what they are selling and hope that I too can be a winner like the lucky shmuck who has the option to take 126 million dollars, outright after taxes, and do whatever he please with it. You could have Celion Dion deported for that kind of money.
I rocked myself to sleep last night (not literally) thinking about what I'd do with that much money. You typically hear people say they'd buy gifts for their family. Cars. Houses. Jewelry. Many offer to pay off other debts or make charitable donations to worthy causes. All theses things are well and good, but how many people every really do. I'd love to hear the follow-up to some of these big winners to see if their lives have changed as a result of their winnings.
I can honestly say I'm not sure what I would do with the money if I was the big winner. What I would like to do and what I would end up doing are two different things.
I would like to give my friends some of the winnings. Share the wealth. I'd make it even. Everyone would get the same amount. But then what if So and So gets upset because she got some money and he didn't. Would giving the set amount to a couple be the same as giving a set amount to each of them individually? Would that be fair? How many people would turn their back on me because they feel slighted in some way?
I'd like to think that if a person is a true friend then money wouldn't matter. I believe that might true friends would stand up nicely to such an observation. Those friends that inhabit the outer rings of my circle of friends, while still friends, I honestly don't feel I know well enough to know how they'd react.
At my last job, I always figured that I'd make some charitable donation to the hotline so that they could hire more people or upgrade their computers or something. It seemed like a nice thing to do. What if I had decided not too? Would I have been pressured to do so or had some people turn their noses up because I didn't jump at the chance to donate? Does that make me selfish?
I know this is all hypothetical, but it's what people do when they dream or daydream. For me, not only do I look at the fun in the moment, but the long term side effects. I know money doesn't buy happiness.
Maybe I'll just save my dollar and put it towards saving up for something I really need. |
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I posted this @ 2/21/2006 04:15:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
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