Reflections On The Powerball Jackpot: Dreams Of Retirement And Ph

I hadn’t given this much thought until this week. Because I’ve never before won a lottery and I don’t see hitting a jackpot in the future. But driving to work I saw a billboard that listed the Powerball jackpot at almost 700 million dollars. I gave a dollar to the office lottery maven. She’s explained we could all retire if we ever beat the exorbitant odds.

I’m not excited about retiring. Work gives me a sense of purpose, but if I had a couple of hundred million dollars, I could find a philanthropist career.

I know a few local churches that could put the money to good use. You’ve heard of greenwashing. This would be God-washing! Orphans need warm beds and a roof over their heads.

So do homeless people. Many folks I see living on the streets look like senior citizens. They belong in a warm place and need regular meals. The same goes for all the sad-looking cats and dogs on the Facebook pages of our local animal shelters. They didn’t ask for their plight.

I’ve often read the comments from lottery winners. They mainly want to help their families. Me too, but my relatives don’t need tens of millions of dollars. They could benefit from someone setting up annuities. To get them through the hard times we all experience and expect are ahead.

Have I missed anyone? All I need is a few bookshelves and a home close to shopping.