Yesterday I dreamed of winning today’s jackpot. I wrote briefly about possibilities of a very long bucket list fueled by mountains of cash. So I dropped this exciting and very attractive but unfortunately very unlikely possibility into a few conversations to see what people would do with that sort of money.
And the reaction is quite interesting. In all, with no exceptions, you can see the invisible mind wonder off, thinking about being debt free and without a worry for, well, for ever really. Ok so how much debt do you have? If you take a couple of days to pay it, chances are that with the interest you’ll have more than what you started out with. So what then.
For some, top of the bucket list if to fly first class on a long haul flight. Like them I find flying cattle class to be a tad tedious. I have often heard stories of people being bumped up to business or first class. Why is it that it has never been me? I have never even been offered it. I have walked through the plane, through first class from the kennels in the back, and secretly poked people’s eyes out as they have slept or supped off bone china and crystal wine glasses. I have wondered at their expense account or the size of their bank account. And I have wondered back down the aisle of the plane to my seat, which is invariably next to the screaming child or obese and awfully smelling snoring Norwegian. But a win of this magnitude will forever end this hardship.
For others it would be about going on holiday but that on its own would have its own set of problems. I mean which tropical island with million star resort would you go to. The choice of so many can only be confusing. Would you take the package that included the drinks or would you opt to pay that bill separately? Do you want the water sports package included or not? Oh, sir, and how are you going to pay for that, the travel consultant would ask. And I would reply, ‘I’m not, while pointing to my former international supermodel personal assistant who also doubles as my chauffer and …. (now now I can hear your dirty minds from here!), she is. I don’t carry cash’. And so it would go. The boxes that needed ticking on my bucket list would gradually diminish, but not without its problems.
Others have said that they would be looking forward to sharing it. Imagine how many lives you could change with that amount of money. Imagine how much relief you could bring to organizations that help the less advantaged. Imagine family members of yours that forever could be financially stable. And sadly, imagine how many new friends you would make. Imagine how many begging letters you would get. And all this for the money. All this because today your luck was in.
It could get very complicated. Especially if you have young children who still needed schooling. My significantly better and way more mature and balanced than me other half is of the opinion that we could employ a full time teacher to travel with us wherever we go to teach our offspring. And we could no doubt. But we differ in opinion because I believe that education is not just what you learn in school. Its also about the interaction with your peers, playing in sports teams, having the good and bad of peer pressure. Years ago lazing in a village called Dahab on the Red Sea, I met an American family that was mom and dad and four kids, ranging in age from about 6 to 16. They had been on the road for about 10 years traveling the world. All the kids could speak fluent Arabic, they had seen things that most would never. Their social interaction skills and knowledge of pretty menial current affairs was the poorest I have ever seen. I am digressing but the point is, with money comes relief and complication.
There will be lots of advice, lots of experts trying to make their cut from it. I think, but obviously I don’t really know, it would require strong caution and loads of discipline. But it would be a great pleasure to be free. Hold thumbs and cross fingers. Is your luck in?
Until tomorrow.
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