I'd buy that for a dollar


There are a couple reasons I'd never live in Las Vegas. Being from Hawaii, I'm a water gal - specifically - the ocean. Lakes kinda freak me out; another phobia directly proportional to sneaking in movies I wasn't allowed to watch as a kid. Any time there was a lake involved, there were gruesome attacks from the murky waters. I could dig deeper in to my phobias, which range from being afraid of bees to driving on bridges, but that's a story for another post.

So today, I'll stick with gambling. Not a phobia, but definitely a vice I need to keep in check.

In addition to my desire to live near the ocean, another reason I'd never move to Sin City is because of ME. I know myself well enough to accept that my addiction manifests itself in many forms. Not only do I have the tendency to roll the dice with my health, I'd be living on the streets within six months if I were allowed to play the slots on a regular basis.

This isn't to say I won't buy a lottery ticket once in a while.

Watching the news this morning, I learned the Mega Millions Lotto is up to over 300 million. My first thought as a retired stripper, was "that's a lot of one dollar bills". Even after Uncle Sam takes half, that's nothing to shake a stripper pole at.

It's amazing - with just one
purchase of a lottery ticket for a dollar, the flood gates to our minds open, and we allow ourselves to dream of a better life. No more worrying about kids' college funds or mortgage payments. No more wondering what first class feels like. We imagine the possibilities. We dare to dream.

I plan on getting a couple tickets after work today, because I'm a sucker for The Dream. I never plan on winning, as I'm well aware of the odds. But someone is going to win. And, as long as my vices are balanced, I'm okay with losing a couple dollars in exchange for the excitement.

Of course, not everyone is excited when the lottery news hit the air waves. There's always the realist who will remind us that we're just throwing our hard earned dollars away. To them, I say, it's like life - you can't win if you don't play.

So tell me - have you ever rolled the dice with your life and come out ahead? I'd love to hear your story.