If I won the lottery...!

Don't lie.

​I know you've fantasized about winning.

As I was shaving my stumpy legs in the shower this afternoon, an excellent idea came to me. Don't you get great ideas in the shower? Don't most folks? No? Let's digress for a moment:

Not only do I engage in the BEST arguments in the shower -- I win those arguments every time. But it seems like most plot solutions and fabulous ideas occur in the shower. I also will get a phone call from the hospital about 33% of the time while mid-leg shave, which makes the remainder of the leg shave inherently dissatisfying, but that's another blog topic.

Okay, back to the topic at hand. Hypothetically, let's say I win the lottery, and let's set a round number of $100,000,000. Sure, the government takes 1/2, so now we're at $50,000,000. Still a nice, round number, looks cool on paper, those zeros are awful darn pretty.

First of all, I will stay anonymous. No question about it. If my magic 6 numbers turn me into a walking piggy bank, I want to donate money on my own terms and not wonder why people are being nice to me. So anonymous. Check.

Lots of people quit their jobs and go on vacation for like, years. Well, all right, but I like my day job. It's fulfilling and tough, but at the end of most days I feel like I've made a difference and am satisfied.

Vacation? I take more time off than I used to a few years ago, but I hate missing certain patients' deliveries and so vacation is a double-edged sword. More vacation won't necessarily make me happier. Whenever I take a vacation now, I do massive amounts of work before and after the vacation. It's almost easier to just keep working and spread things out.

But then that little voice inside my head says, "What about a more awesome vacation?"

Yeah, maybe I could go for that. But fancier doesn't equal more pleasant, at least not the way my plebeian brain works. The times when I've stayed at a fancy schmancy hotel, I got really uncomfortable with all the nice people helping me with bags, opening doors, etc.. No shock, if you've read anything I've ever written, but I'd rather be in a cabin in the woods.

So, no lottery money spent yet.

Fine, maybe I could take 1/2 of the lottery money and help out some family members, but thankfully most folks are doing okay for themselves. Additionally, I support some charities that could benefit from the money and I'd happily give it to them. I also have a wonderful friend back home who works full time, but has a very sick daughter and I'd set them up for life. Easy decision there.

What about shopping? Well, it's not like I can WEAR all that JCPenney clothing. And apparently JCP is the only stuff I buy, but only when it's 50% off or BOGO. Even if I do buy fancier clothes, it seems like I go back to jeans and a t-shirt more often than not. What about jewelry? Uh, no. Not a sparkly bauble kind of gal.

Writing? Ok, that's something. Yes, I would write more and work a smidge less. We're talking 5-10 hours/week of a difference in time allocation. So there's something I might do with the lottery funds.

So then I considered it: I can do most of the things I enjoy right now. I don't need a lottery. Ok, maybe not the setting up my friend and her daughter for life, but at least I can donate something (time or funds) to charities. I can set aside 5-10 more hours/week to write and take care of that desire. I still like my day job, so I think I'll keep doing it. I enjoy taking a few vacations, so I'll keep taking trips where the word "Hampton" relates only to the "Inn", which by the way has a complimentary breakfast. With Raisin Bran and OJ....

So, what would you do if you won the lottery?

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