You Have To Play to Win

I often quip before leaving work that I won't be there tomorrow if I win the lottery; one of my co-workers is quick to reply that my lack of playing negates the comment. She knows me too well; most times I'd rather spend my dollar bill on a pack of chewing gum or an envelope of radish seeds or some other small purchase. I heard a piece on This American Life the other day about a guy that spent his day pondering what he'd do with his lottery winnings-- you know, the ones that he might potentially win. It makes me think about all the arm chair explorers that I know out there, all my friends that are quick to point out where they would like to go on vacation or if they had some money or if they were suddenly gifted with a pair of plane tickets and a carte blanche itinerary...but that's as far as it ever gets, just to the what if stage. I once quipped that I'd like to spin the globe, close my eyes and stop it with my finger, where it stopped, that's where I'd go on my next vacation. I hoped that this would not result in my going to Duluth, but thought that I could change the formula a bit by stating that if I'd been to the place already, then I'd get another spin (luckily I've already been to Duluth); I gave the globe a spin and pointed my finger with closed eyes and stopped the sphere in the middle of Peru. I booked a ticket later that week and hopped on a plane a few months later. It was a great vacation; I met a lot of nice people, proved that language does not have to be a barrier--especially if you are willing to mangle the pronunciation of the basics, laugh at yourself and smile like you mean it. Returning from the trip, I was ready to do the whole thing over, though I decided that I might have to wait a while, replenish my rainy day fund and go from there. As I get older I find that life is sort of like the lottery, you have to play to win. I'm off to plant radishes.