MegaMillionsMania

As I was leaving the office last night, I heard my name called, "Hey, do you want to get in on this?" asked one of the office supervisors.  It was then I remembered the email I disregarded earlier in the day.  Backtracking to the office, I reached for my wallet, extracted a $5.00 bill, with a "Sure I do.  Thanks for reminding me."

Soon, a crowd spilled into the office.  Excitement was in everyone's voice.  There were plenty of "Here's what I would do" and "This is what I would buy" and, my favorite, "What will they do Monday morning when no one is here".  Huge expansive dreams were filling the confines of the little office to overflowing.  The dreams burst out the door and began to float down the hall, just like wayward balloons floating up into the air.

In handing over my $5.00, I, too, had earned the right to dream with the rest of them, for about 30 hours.  What would I do with a 1/28 share of a half billion dollars.  Honestly, I can't think in terms that big.  Numbers beginning with a "b", as in billions, are reserved for the big spenders, like the US government and oil sheiks in the Mideast.

But, why not, here goes . . .

A sexy new sports car for Better Half
Mad Money for my boys, their girls, my almost granddaughter, and the rest of my family
A house for Habitat for Humanity each year
A foundation for giving money to worthy causes
A scholarship fund for students at my school, whose parents are stuck in the middle of the pack
A 2 week vacation at some southern beach, wiggling my toes in the white warm sand, eating seafood every day, twice a day, and floating in tepid aquamarine waters
My u-shaped dream house, bathed in light, full of windows and outdoor living spaces, perched on the ledge above the 100 year flood plain at the farm, where I could catch the spectacular sunsets over the southern Ohio hills every night of my life
That's really about it.

This morning when copies of the tickets were being distributed, the giddiness took over again.  Voices grew louder.  Each dream, each scheme began to outdo the one before it.  An office full of people of every stripe became bound, not so much by the money, as by the absolute euphoria to be experienced when a person has dreams.  Each of us was transported far beyond our work-a-day Friday morning existence.  For a brief time we stood united and everything was possible, and I guess, technically, remains possible until the numbers are drawn.

The best $5.00 I've spent in a long time.

Good luck to my 27 partners this evening.  Won't it be grand!  I'm still dreaming! How about you?