Just recently, the Powerball was worth more than $500 million dollars. Yes, that's right, more than a half a billion dollars. Now, I know none of you are able to purchase lottery tickets, but would you have purchased that ticket? If so, how many?
As you held that hypothetical ticket in your hand, which of course you would assume was THE winning ticket, did you envision what you were going to do with all of that money? Would you pay off your parents' mortgage? Donate money to your favorite charity? Quit your job? Buy that beautiful vacation home on Torch Lake? I am not going to lie and say that I have never thought about hitting a windfall.
But when that Powerball was worth more than $500 million, I bought zero tickets. Zero. Zilch. Nada.
While I know being hit by lightning is more likely than hitting a lotto, this is not the reason why I did not purchase a ticket. I did not buy one on principle. Since my son was born, I have made a conscious effort to not wish my life away. I don't think about the what if, the possibilities...I try to avoid the fantasy. In fact, the last time I bought a lotto ticket was on March 24, 2011. My son was born the next day.
This is going to sound so cliche, but I hit the jackpot on March 25. And I realized that if I fantasized about what life could be like with (lots) more money, I would not be able to enjoy the present. I would not be able to enjoy my present, him.
I don't want to be a millionaire. I don't want to hit a jackpot. I don't want Great Expectations. I am happy with my life, and I want to embrace the moment and make this life great no matter what happens.
When I read the first half of the novel, all I think about is how Pip is wasting his youth, wasting his life...dreaming, hoping, wishing for something different. Each hour of his wondering is a moment lost.
I know its not easy to live in the present, and I am not going to lie and say that "what if" doesn't sneak into my mind every once and a while. But when it does, I stop and remind myself of everything that I should be thankful for. Pip did not see what he had and he lost his youth.
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