Powerball Dreams

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few days, you know that the Powerball jackpot is at an all time high... a staggering  $1.3 BILLION.

That bears repeating.

$1.3 BILLION US DOLLARS.

I am involved in 3 different work pools, including the one I'm running, and have purchased tickets on my own.  Together, I've dropped about $10 on the adventure.  It isn't much, but enough to spark a dream.

Now, before my Christian followers start throwing out the evils of gambling and all that rot, I want to defend my investment.

First, I believe that some of the laws in the Bible are not as black and white as some religious folks seem to believe they are.  The Bible says to not be a drunk, it does not say "do not drink."  We are talking about a time when the water was barely drinkable... no water filters, no bottled water from preserved springs in the mountains.  It was gross, muddy water with bacteria and all sorts of funky things that we would not want to ingest.  In that time period, folks drank the liquid created from crushing grapes.  Wine.  Sure, some of it was grape juice, but if they held on to it long enough, it was fermented WINE.  The Bible doesn't say to DIE OF THIRST or ONLY DRINK THE NASTY WATER.  No... it says:  Don't be a drunk.  Don't be that guy on the highway begging the good Samaritan for a few coins so you can go to the local bar and get wasted.

Using that same logic, the evils of gambling are in those who become addicted to it.  If your gambling affects your ability to pay your bills or feed your family, you have a problem.

In 2006, pregnant with my first child, I took a vacation to Las Vegas with my husband and a few friends.  One couple that was with us were against gambling.  Granted, none of us are big gamblers, but when in Vegas.... right?  While the rest of us spent a little time gambling, they were sight seeing and exploring different casinos.  Fun stuff!  One day, all the men folk took our rental car to the grocery store, leaving my girlfriend and I to find something to do for a few hours.  I took her to a penny poker machine, gave her a dollar, and the two of us played for 2 hours.  We walked away having lost about $.50 each.  Now tell me, where else in the world can you find entertainment for 2 hours at a price of $.50 EACH??  Did that create a gambling habit for either of us? No, but we did have a good time and it did not break the bank.

Next, I want to ask you to think on the recent wallet burn we call CHRISTMAS.  How many dollars did you drop on your kids, siblings, parents, friends?  Does anyone other than me look at the sea of plastic toys that our children rip open with glee and imagine what the landfills will look like in 10 years?  My daughter received two 18 inch dolls that she has yet to play with.  What about the hoarded nightmare of their bedrooms?  My girls have enough toys to open a store.  When play time comes, do you know what my kids do?  Ipad.  Xbox.  Kindle. Iphone.  So WHY ON EARTH AM I BUYING THEM MORE STUFF???  More toys to ignore, more clothes they won't wear, more more more more....

In light of that... I dropped $10 for a CHANCE to put myself and all of my loved ones in a better place financially.  It's better than the hundreds of dollars dropped on toys that may never get played with.  I'm not addicted to gambling.  I may have spent that $10 on my next lunch from SaladWorks.  I may have dropped that $10 on a few more apps for my daughter's phone.  Instead, I spent it on an investment venture that will benefit our future.  Besides, isn't the stock market all a gamble?  Yet that is not frowned upon.

Sorry, but I'm going to poo-poo on the notion that playing the Powerball Lotto is bad.

On to the Powerball Dreams:

Remember when you were a kid and you had dreams of being a fireman, an astronaut, a doctor, a fashion designer, or a pop star?  It was so fun to dream and pretend like you could achieve these goals.  I was going to be a HIT on Broadway!  I was going to be Fanny Brice in Funny Girl.  I was going to be a LEGEND!  I took voice lessons... I sang my heart out!  I knew I could make it happen.

It didn't happen.  Oh, but how fun was it to dream?

Powerball dreams take us to that place again.  If money was never again a problem, what would we do with ourselves?  Would we rescue our families from debt and set up trust funds for our kids, their kids, and their kid's kids?  Would we buy a mansion, with a huge pool... and a handsome pool boy, with a maid, and a cook, and a private plane?  Would we give to charity, or multiple ones?  Which ones?  How much?  Who would we throw a few thousand dollars to just to make them smile?  It's fun to dream... but how would we keep our feet planted on solid ground?  How would keep from becoming lofty and out of control?  How would we keep ourselves busy?

What are your Powerball Dreams?  Drop me a comment, I'd love to read it!