Wednesday, November 28, 2012

If I won the lottery...

Had I won the $500 million power-ball  last night- there are many things I could have done with it. We are all dreamers about what we'd do with a winning ticket and- I'm a big dreamer. Thankfully I'm a writer, I can turn all my big dreams into stories.
 I'm not one that'll ever buy a ticket with friends, and I apologize if that makes me sound selfish or mean- my reasons for not sharing a ticket are legit. Trust me.

Winning the lottery is unpredictable- you can't win it if you don't buy a ticket. So I bought two tickets yesterday and neither one of them were winners. It is still fun to hope- to dream about winning something because if you don't have fun with it- what's the point of playing?

What would I do with the money?

1. Family...there are only 5 people I care to share the wealth with immediately. I'd take care of some responsibilities such as bills. I'd make sure we had no lingering debt before proceeding forward.
My niece is three years old, so I'll make sure to invest in her education, including her college fund. I know my sister's plan is to send my niece to a private school and I know they like to day dream to be able to send her to a prep school in NH - I would make sure that we had the opportunity available for her. I'd also make sure she had a savings account for her future. She is little, so saying I'd send her to swimming or gymnastics is easy -since she has already experienced interest in it is easy to say- but I'd let her choose her hobbies and pay for them.

2. Charity- it is so hard to pick one charity over another when there are a thousand charities to donate to. I've always wanted to 'own' my own foundation, so I believe I'd start there. I know my family would be happy to join me on this project, we are a loving, charitable family and together we could help a lot of people.

3. Home- I would have to buy a house for myself. For years, I haven't had much housing stability. Moving around and  renting apartments is expensive and exhausting. I've been living in the same home in Cornelius for two years now and it's been a relief. Right now, I can't think of the house I'd buy- it seems so overwhelming and I don't even have the money to buy a house, so I'll keep the details for the day I actually can buy the house. Who knows, maybe I'll do what I always thought I'd do- buy a penthouse in the city of New York or Boston, and one on the beach somewhere on the coast.

4. Education- It's been my dream to finish college and with the money I know I'd go back to school in a heartbeat. Heck, with $500 in my bank account, I wouldn't have to work -so I could focus on my education. With that said, I'd probably return to New York Film Academy -thus forcing me to buying a gorgeous apartment in Soho, New York.

5. Writing- As you read in number 4, I'd finish my education in film. So-I'd certainly take time to finish my script for my novels -and movies I hope are published and produced one day.

6. Hibernate- the number one lifelong dream has always been to move to a deserted island where there are no interruptions so I could focus on writing only. I'd force myself to not have internet or television- or guests. I doubt it would be hard to do. In the end, I'd only be gone for a few months - so my hibernation would not be permanent and yes, my family will know where I'll stay. Just in -case of an emergency. But would I hibernate before going back to school? Who knows? Let me win the lottery first and then I'll decide!

Of course, I'd also be reasonable with my winnings. I'd change my phone number; I'll lock my twitter and facebook accounts and I'll change my email address. I'll hire a lawyer and invest in savings -and I'll have accounts to protect my money-all of that goes without saying.
I'd buy a new wardrobe and I'd probably trade in my old Saturn for a new car. I'd do a few things I haven't had the privilege to do in the past few years. There are places you can visit a in a few days and I'd love to visit Nashville, Seattle, California cities; Las Vegas and a few famous beaches. I know I'd want to go to the Daytona 500 to celebrate my birthday - but would I really do that when I know I could afford to go to Paris instead?
 I go could also go on a yoga retreat in Bali- oh the possibilities are endless.

One last thing I'd also do- is adopt a puppy. I'd have enough money too and no one would be able to stop me. I'd probably adopt a horse too- why not?

What would you do with winnings?








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