*Sigh.....I know. We did not win the lottery --again. Somebody else got the gazillion dollars and the life of Riley and the Caribbean vacation and the cruises..and....and...and a pretty handsome bank account more suitable to royalty.
Somebody within 50 miles of us won over 50 Million dollars. Seriously. A couple of weeks ago. Somebody else not far away won a cool million or so. A few days ago. Maybe the prizes are moving closer? Surely we dream and jest, but maybe not? Keep the fingers crossed. Think happy. Think winning. Think W is for winning.
The human tendency to denial that one's luck is anything less than perfect is wishful thinking,
Does that make wishing and dreaming any less attractive? No.
Hopefully we made all the right turns to weave our way through the complex pathways of life. Reflection can show us the road less traveled.
Have you ever thought about the other possibilities, the joy, excitement, the better restaurants, nicer home, and new cars? How about the royal treatment, 'round the world vacations, the beautiful life you could be living if you suddenly 'got lucky' and began to suffer a serious winning streak?
It is human nature to dream, but have you ever truly taken the time to imagine yourself on 'the golden road less traveled' ? Seriously, the frivolous, ridiculous, rampant and perhaps reluctant rogue within that could surface, as long as costs are unfettered?
Would you be 'winning' with a different occupation, a different education? How about a different lifestyle, in the extreme, even a different family in the euphoria and fog of money, a different mate, different kids,and different choices ---that a huge lottery win could offer the uncontrolled mind?
Would winning make you a better person? Would you share? Would you be a target? Would you suddenly find dozens of lost relatives, and hundreds of fair-weather friends? Is winning always a good thing?
Maybe not. Shall we step back for an overview? Would you be happier? Money does not make happiness. Happiness is achieved from inner peace and the satisfaction of appreciating not what you don't have, but what you do have.
Winning is all about choices. If you picked the right numbers, you could be winning. It is often forgotten that money simply allows choices not available otherwise. Does that mean instant happiness? No.
Winning, then, really is only in the mind.
I wouldn't mind. Have to get a ticket.....
Is that incoming I hear?
I play the lottery occasionally and sometimes dream about what I can do with the money. But then reality sets in and I think of all the vultures out there who would be after my new-found wealth.
ReplyDeleteThe best thing about money is that it buys freedom. We have to work because we need the necessities of life. The freedom is what I hunger for: the freedom to travel, to help out family and friends in need, and the freedom to follow my star.
Great post!
Katley, it sounds like you have a pretty good handle on what money does. Kudos to you! It buys freedom through wise choices. Thanks for making this particular comment, you are SO right on! ":) ~R
ReplyDeleteAh, if Tom could win some big cash he'd and I quote--Expand my empire and employ tons of people, cuz this economy sucks!--end quote. Me with money? I'd help my friends and buy books, seeds and yarn. That's all I need.
ReplyDeleteHa,,Glory, that's all,,,,,except for a wrench set, that is. You need a nice wrench set to go with your screwdrivers. I remember.
DeleteI would expand my land base and get a warm place further south to go in the winter and grow stuff year round. I would help my friends too--after all, what is money for anyway? I don't need yarn, Wendy has lots. ":))
I think I am on my way to winning :) I was not on the golden road for a long time but now I am walking it at an even pace! I cross my fingers for you to win the lotto Raymond so that you can buy all the cookies your heart desires!
ReplyDeleteWell now,Christyb, I am positive that you ARE on your way to winning! That's the nicest thing anyone has said for a long time, so if I happen to win the lottery, I'll send YOU some cookies too! What kind would you like? See, that's being positive!....LOL ~R
DeleteI quit gambling years ago, but not after winning a little for myself. Money absolutely does not buy happiness. If it did, there would be no such thing as the lottery curse.
ReplyDeleteI much prefer to win important battles:
Hearing my son speak and mean it.
Watching my daughter animate.
Seeing my flowers burst into bloom.
Simplicity is good.
Red.
Red, money really means absolutely nothing. I have three comments about your important battles ..amazing, fabulous, and beautiful, --not necessarily in that order because the wonder involved in these things is almost unbelievable and interchangeable. At times the simplicity of important battles won IS the most beautiful thing in the world to behold. God bless. ~R
ReplyDeletePart of this is easy. I don't gamble. I actually do enjoy taking risks, but not for money, and the element of risk involved in scrambling up a mountainside is a matter of testing my nerve and decision-making against a challenge, not of playing Russian roulette.
ReplyDeleteI agree that particularly in very achievement-oriented societies like the U.S., winning can be a kind of religion - same with positivity. If a man (or a woman) can't damn well be miserable occasionally, what is life worth? Seriously, anyone permanently positive isn't fully human and certainly won't produce good art.
That leads on to a question about both winning and being positive: winning WHAT? Being positive about WHAT? On the whole I don't think a Nazi winning the Second World War and being positive about the Final Solution would be a good thing. I doubt if some business executive winning and grinding his/her rival's face in the dirt is much good to anyone either, even the victor - but winning a fight to keep a malfunctioning civilian plane in one piece sounds worthwhile and if I was on the plane I'd hope the pilot wouldn't sink into despair and assume we were all doomed.
Very well said, Siba ! It IS not quite as cut and dried, is it! I am glad to see this insightful observation.
DeleteWinning is a perception, there is a time and a place for it. Applicable to morals, ethics, business, lifestyle, virtually everything we do, every contest, challenge or obstacle we tackle is subject to the perception of winning--and they certainly are not equal in nature. Winning and being positive is only good when the contest, challenge, or endeavor is worthy of humanity. Everything, even the value of winning--is relative.
You are right about winning almost being 'a kind of religion to some, for it is practiced with malice at times, without moral thought or consideration of immediate consequences or long-term quality of life.
With winning too, we must pick and choose--just as we pick and choose our battles in life. Thank you so much for your valuable comments! ~R