Feel Lucky?
Or, why I play the lottery.
I’m not a gambler. Not really, except in the smallest ways. In fact, most of my friends will tell you that I’m all about “The Sure Thing“. Whenever possible, I line things up so that I cannot miss. But, every once in a while, I play the lottery. Why?
Well, I stopped for quite some time, especially during my divorce, because I didn’t want to share with my now, thankfully, ex-wife. I suppose that sounds bitter, but, it’s really how I felt. Then, after that was all over, I started again, because to win and get that kind of money would be the most delicious irony. Still, that’s not the reason I play.
And, yes, I know the odds are against me. In fact, the odds of winning are 47,784,352 to 1. It’s not that I really think I have a chance, a real chance, at winning. In fact, I have heard the joke that the Lottery is tax on people who don’t understand mathmatics or statistics, which is partially me. I don’t do well with math, but stats was always good for me. Besides, the jackpot is $16 Million tonight. That buys a lot of books and ramen noodles! I’ve also joked that what I was doing was giving the Almighty a chance to change my life.
Ever heard the old joke about the guy praying to God about winning the lottery? He says, “God, why is it, in all your wisdom and power that you never let me win the lottery?” The clouds part and a golden light shines down on the man and a deep, booming voice says, “You’ve got to meet me halfway. You need to buy a ticket!” So, in a way, buying that ticket gives God, or Fate, or whatever you want to call it, a chance to change my life. But, that’s not why I do it either.
I buy that ticket to dream. For a dollar, I get a set of random numbers that let me dream about all the ways I’d use that money. The things I’d get for people, the good I could do, the fun I could have. For a measly dollar, I get to cast wide my net of hope and gather in just a few good thoughts and feelings about the world and the possibilities it holds. For just a few minutes, I get think about all the things that might be, if only…
I play the lottery, because, for the price of a dollar, I get to buy hope.
