If I Won the Lottery

I've passed the last hour or so thinking about what I would do if I won the lottery. California's MegaMillions is estimated to be about $64 million right now, and, even though I didn't buy a ticket, and even though I don't really play the lottery, I still thought about what I would do if I won. It's funny how specific my plans are, even though I don't play it. I wonder if I should start? A dollar a week or something? It's unlikely that I'd win, but then, maybe I would.

The funny thing is that the greatest pleasure in winning for me would not come from finally being released from financial woes (because I know that lots of money has its own problems), but from being able to fix the things in the lives of the people I care about which are related to money. I mean, for example, let's say I take the pay-out -- $41 million. Starting with my parents, I'd pay off their house, and give them a few million, so they could retire in comfort. Nothing fancy or frivolous, just comfortable retirement, so they can travel and my dad can bird, and my mom can finally get to all those projects she's been planning for years. I think I'd probably ask them to keep working, though, just a little bit longer, just because I think they're too young to retire yet. Then my soon-to-be-ex-husband. I'd give him a few million, so that he could be free of his parents, and other expectations of failure. Then he could go on with school or graduate school, or invest it, or write, or do whatever he wanted. I mean, theoretically, if he were intelligent, he would invest it, and live off the interest. $3 million dollars, spent at $50,000 a year, would last for 60 years. That's something to think about. So, say I've spent about $6 million -- I still have $35 million left.

I'd pay off my friend's house for him, and give another friend enough money to go and open a brewery in Japan -- his life-long dream. Then I'd probably pay off my sister and her husband's house, so that my sister wouldn't have to work, and could just stay home and be with her baby (who will be born soon!!! I'm going to be an aunt!!!). As for my brother . . . well, I'd probably give him enough money to go travel, or go back to school, or do something different with his life than what he's doing now.  He's young -- he deserves freedom from so much.  But I'd have provisions in there.  It wouldn't be free money.  I'd also probably give a million or so to my aunt, so that she could stop trying to find work at 60+, and just enjoy the years she won back from cancer.

So, let's say I've given away another $5 million. That leaves me $30 million. What else would I do? I'd do a few selfish things: pay off my school loans, buy a house or two, invest the bulk of it. I'd still apply to grad school, and seriously hope that I'd be accepted, because I think I'd really like it . . . and I can't imagine not working, doing something useful and productive, for the rest of my life. I mean, I'm only 29 (soon to be 30, but not talking about that right now). I'd travel -- see all the places I've wanted to see, but not been able to, because of time and, more importantly, money: England, Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Russia. . . . I'd set up a home-base somewhere, with lots of acreage and animals -- horses, sheep, chickens, dogs, cats, geese, ducks, that sort of thing. I'd buy a Steinway, and build a library for myself -- a two-story library, with lots of comfortable armchairs for reading, and then I'd fill the library with thousands and thousands of books. The tempting thing would just be to put work on hold forever, and do nothing but read and read and read and read. But that's too self-indulgent. I would probably do it for a year or two, though. Do nothing but read, and play with my animals, and cross-stitch, and swim. . . .

Speaking of animals, I'd definitely put a few million dollars into building a rescue for domestic pets -- a no-kill shelter, and probably give another few million to Big Cat Rescue, which is my charity-of-choice. They rescue big cats -- lions, tigers, leopards -- from all over, and are always desperately in need of money.

So that's what I'd do if I won the lottery. I'm sure there are other things I'd do that I haven't thought of, but I'm pretty happy with what I've got now. The things that winning the lottery would do for me -- help me make the people I love happier and more comfortable, allow me to help the people and animals that I want to help -- would give me peace of mind and contentment, I think. I know that money can't solve all my problems, and I know that it can bring with it its own issues, but I would try not to let it dominate me. That's not to say that I wouldn't have a wonderful time building and furnishing my houses, and shopping for books and "feathers" and things. It would be nice to finally have enough money to buy, for example, a black Coach purse, or a set of happy yellow dishes from Crate and Barrel, and it would be lovely to just see something and be able to buy it. But I think that I'd rather forget it was there, and just enjoy the contentment it affords, if that's at all possible.

Of course, not buying lottery tickets puts all of this beyond the bounds of the practically reachable. But it's fun to dream.