DECEMBER 18th - Real Life is more Disappointing than What Goes on in my Head



On this day last year it was announced that two winning tickets had been purchased for the Mega Millions Lottery drawing the day before which was worth 648 million dollars. A woman from Atlanta claimed her prize on this same day, but the second ticket went unclaimed for almost a month. There were multiple theories as to why someone would not jump at 324 million dollars instantly. Psychologists postulated that the winner could be mourning his/her former life. Because becoming a multi-millionaire overnight would certainly change your life. I thought maybe the guy or girl was just smart. If I ever won the lottery, I’d tell no one. You might notice some nicer things start to pop up around me. But I’d tell you that I got a good deal on the Batmobile. That solid gold toilet with the seat warmer? A gift. And yes it would be pretty hard to explain how I could afford that yacht to sail around the world with either Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Watson, Rita Ora, or that girl in yoga pants at the grocery store last weekend (depends on schedules, of course), but I’d just smile and shrug. But seriously, people come out the woodwork when they think you have something for them. And I’d imagine they think because you didn’t work like a dog for that money, that it’s not yours. Often you hear about how winning the lottery was the worst thing that happened to a person. Don’t get me wrong, I’d relish the chance to find out. Even if just to get shot down by Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Watson, Rita Ora, or the yoga-panted grocery girl for thinking they would be interested in a guilt-free year sailing around the world with a strikingly attractive wordsmith. But hey, it’s better to get shot down and have 324 million (178 million after taxes) than to get shot down and not have 324 million. My point is I wasn’t all too surprised that the second winner was keeping mum. The guy finally came forward. He was a truck driver who bought tickets all over the country and had forgotten he bought one in San Jose where the winning ticket was reported to be from. Because real life is much more disappointing than what goes on in my head.

This day has been Marked.

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