52 Weeks: Week 46

I just couldn't resist! I know...the chances are extremely slim. But you know what they say: you have to play to win! Just a few dollars for a few numbers...maybe a waste, but no more so than a cup of coffee or other treat. Did you see how big it is now? Over 200 million! After taxes, that is still a HUGE sum! Maybe someone will win, or maybe it will roll over: isn't it nice to dream? I would never go crazy and spend a lot of money on these things. I know my life will probably continue on the exact same path tomorrow as it is on today. I know that I am but one of MANY who hope, wish, and dream about it. But, oh...wouldn't that make things so much better? I know, I know...lots of winners have cautionary tales to tell. It never turns out the way you dreamed it would. Sometimes the bad elements outweight the good elements in some of these situations. But...

What would I do? What's the harm in dreaming, right? First: pay off the darn mortgage on the house we are trying to sell so we are free to go without worrying about finances and credit. In this slow housing market, and with the cost of living as it is, we feel stuck until we can sell the house and get out from under the mortgage. We still would need to sell it, but at least we wouldn't have to worry about monthly expenses due to paying for a house we no longer lived in. It would mean so much freedom! Being stuck with a house you want to sell, and postponing a move to a new city and new life because of it...ugh! I wish I could afford to just GO!! Winning the lottery would allow us to do just that: GO! Only finances are holding us back from a new and better life for my entire family. Oh, that would be SO nice to be free from that kind of worry!

Second: buy a red convertible Mustang! Simple enough, compared to the expensive cars many people buy. But it is my "middle-class dream car" and being able to buy it would be awesome! Maybe later I would add a Porsche to my list, but for now, the Mustang would be my dream come true! I would enjoy driving it all over Florida with the wind in my hair! :)

Then: we would complete our planned move, move into a comfortable place in Florida (nothing outrageous/probably something we were looking at before having more money), and live our lives pretty much the way we were planning beforehand. There will be upcoming expenses in the future: new wardrobe for everyone, some technology such as laptops and cell phones, some medical and dental expenses. The rest would be put away for college/retirement/other. We will still work hard to earn a living: hopefully doing things that truly interest us. Just knowing that there is money in the bank to back us up in times of trouble, or money to use for an occasional vacation or other splurge...that would be nice.

I wonder if that's how most people feel: wouldn't want to spend it all on extravagant things, just want to experience the comfort of never again worrying about finances. Oh, what a feeling! To pay the bills as they come in, never again worrying about being able to cover them. To pay the unexpected costs as they are incurred without panicking or accumulating large debts. Can you imagine? Only a very small percentage of Americans can say they live that way. The wealthy often overspend and still have to think about money a lot of the time. The poor are always worrying and struggling to pay for basic needs. The middle class often "just get by" and always worry about what looms around the corner that could completely wipe them out. I would LOVE to have just enough to ease those worries. Maybe I would even be able to share this feeling with others by helping them out (but not to the point of being back to square one of worrying all the time again). THAT is what I would do! I would live my next 40 or 50 years, working hard and enjoying life just as I planned...but having that kind of money put away for safety and security issues, and to be able to turn to it when a little extra cash is needed...that sounds like heaven on earth! Wouldn't that be nice! :)

So tonight, I'll watch them draw the numbers, and I'll look at mine to see if they match. The odds against it are tremendous, but sometimes people DO win! So how will I approach it: positive thinking or a dose of realism? Well, if positive thinking means imagining and believing that it will happen, envisioning life as if it happened, and thinking that I have as good of a chance as everyone else does: I choose to have that kind of attitude. If realism means being skeptical and speaking negatively about my chances: nope, I think I'll pass on that. SO...just like everyone else, I will think that I have the numbers...until I don't. And I will spend the next few hours imagining life free of worry, at least from financial issues. Tomorrow, I will still do everything I planned to do, no matter what happens. My future will stay on the same path...but it sure would be nice to have a calming peace of mind as I walk down that road! Here's to good luck! :)