Monday, October 29, 2007

Playing the Lottery

Well, I didn't win the lottery again. Yes, I just checked my numbers from the Saturday drawing and yes, I realize it's Monday already. Very telling, in a way, isn't it? Maybe I don't really believe I am going to win. That MUST be the problem.

Although, I'm not really giving it my all. I'm not a dedicated player; I don't buy tickets for every drawing or even on a weekly basis. I buy when it comes to mind or when the winnings reach over 200 million. I mean... then it's actually worth it to spend the dollar.

That's right... I only buy one. Why would you buy more? Either you are going to have the numbers or your not. It's not as if you can mix and match the numbers from various tickets until you come up with the six winners. It's funny to me... Every time I buy a ticket, the clerk always asks, "only one?" And I always respond, "You only need one to win, right?" The seller does not find that funny at all. Neither does the guy beside me who just spent a hundred bucks on his tickets. I don't have $100 to spare. That's why I am playing the lottery.

I'm still not a winner though. Not a big winner anyway. I have a $4 winning ticket hanging on the refrigerator. I am keeping it. It's only worth four dollars afterall and I can't spend it over four weeks time. I'd have to spend it all at once. And that would mess up my game plan.

I buy at the same place every time. The Jumpstop gas station by my house gets all my lottery business. As far as I know, they haven't had a winner yet and I am hoping to be their first. I am loyal to the Jumpstop. Unless of course I am on some sort of road trip through the rural Midwest. People in small towns always win the lottery. So I stop along the way, in tiny towns, and buy lottery tickets. Perhaps it's not fair of me to steal the chances of winning from the small town folks. But I'd go back if I won. And buy a t-shirt or I don't know... build a school, like Oprah. The point is, I'd go back and share the spoils.

Maybe that is why I don't win though... I can't stop thinking about giving away all that money. Ridiculous, huh? It would be fun to buy a big house and a new car and hire a pool boy. And maybe I would even get a pool... But it would be so much more fun to pay off the debt of others and buy cars for strangers. That's probably the biggest reason I don't win. God thinks I am financially irresponsible. And He's right. I am. It's probably best to give $200 million to some 80 year old guy in a small town in rural Missouri who's got 2 dogs, 10 cats and no family. Because that makes sense.

Even though the deck seems to be stacked against me, I'm not going to stop playing the lottery. I am going to pick up a ticket every now and then at the Jumpstop and I'll stop in Auxvasse on my way to Kansas City in December and pick up a Powerball and a few scratchoff tickets. I'm going to keep playing because it makes me giddy to think "what if?" And a moment of giddiness every now and then, is worth a dollar. At least.

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