AKA: Why I Want to Win the Lottery
(Note: This post is pure fantasy and silliness. So don’t judge. Déjame sola.)
If I won the lottery, and I mean a good chunk, not just $10 on a scratch-off, here’s what I want to do:
Step One: Get Life Back to Neutral
- Pay off all my damn bills. Ahhhhhh.
- Fix my dad’s roof. (His insurance kicked him off because the roof is apparently in such poor condition. He doesn’t have the cash to fix it and can’t get a loan. It’s a whole thing.)
- Give my dad an additional chunk of money to do whatever he wants. Maybe he would pay medical bills, but hey, it’s his call.
- Finally get all the dental work my husband needs done.
- And, relatedly, get my husband any and all treatment needed to better manage his gastritis.
Step Two: Do Some Good
- Donate to small-town projects: parks with actual plants, not just sad concrete slabs; eco-friendly swimming ponds; community gardens; other community programs.
- Fund up those local food banks!
- Fund other things that actually make life better: literacy programs, humane societies, wild spaces, state and national parks, public libraries, affordable childcare, and health care access.
Step Three: Get Some Breathing Room
- Buy three used cars for my family, the kind that last and last, and then luxuriate in getting repairs as needed. I want to enjoy realizing, “Yep, it needs tires,” and then just… buying them.
- Buy a modest, functional house for cash: one that doesn’t have holes in the walls or tub decking that’s caving in, and one that actually has a proper basement or storm shelter.
- Get a nice, fenced yard. Space for:
- A garden 🌱
- A play area 🛝
- A chicken coop 🐓
- A firepit/grill zone 🔥
- A catio 🐈
- Maybe even a goat or two 🐐
- A garden 🌱
Step Four: Live, but Actually
With money off my back, I’d finally have the luxury to work how and when I want, and spend my time doing what matters:
- Park days with my daughter
- Swimming
- Zoo and museum visits
- Library programs and community events
- Long, soul-cleansing solo bike rides
- Modest family trips, full of nature, fun, learning, and rest
And I’d give generously to the causes I believe in: sustainable cities, green building, community wellness, animal shelters, accessible public spaces. Things that make me feel like I can actually relax and breathe. (I imagine anyone who isn’t concerned only with profits feels the same way).
Additionally, and I think this may be a neurodivergent thing, I want to work the jobs I want and learn the skills I want without trying to make it seem “logical.”
Maybe I want to be a barista for a while, then a massage therapist.
After that, maybe I’ll teach for a while, then do some accounting work.
Then I think I’ll work in a horse barn for a year or two, then learn carpentry.
Maybe after that, I want to be a home inspector.
This, to me, is enjoying the variety of life. Learning different skills, spending time with different kinds of people, and then moving on to a new skill and a new occupation when it’s time.
One Silly, Self-Indulgent Luxury:
A personal chef.
Just one.
To cook us healthy meals. That’s it.
(It’s a job! I’d pay well! I’d be a dream boss! And to get that off our plates would be a godsend.)
In conclusion: turns out my million-dollar dream is kind of boring.
The real challenge is this: how can I build parts of this life anyway? Without winning the lottery.
Because unfortunately, that’s not under my control.
Still, it’s fun to dream.
