It Never Hurts to Dream?

I usually don't stay up that late, but at 11:00 pm, I watched the "balls drop" for the multi-state Powerball lottery drawing. Telling my wife to get ready and grab her passport and call the airline for a first-class ticket to any Pacific island we could get to the fastest. I felt the need for a fruity drink and some sand between my toes. 

 At 11:01 pm , after the first, then second, then third numbers dropped, I was ready to tear-up my ticket and go to bed. That's how it was for some 100,000,000 other people across the US. 

 According to Yahoo/ABC news this morning two people did win the jackpot. Which made me both mad and happy for them at the same time, strangely enough. But the interesting part of the piece was the additional 8,924,123 people who won smaller amounts. Like the 58 people who won $1,000,000 and the 8 people who won $2,000,000. And, 8,924,052 others who won even smaller prizes. How will they all cope with the loss? 

 I know that sounds like sour grapes coming from me, but it was fun to think for a moment, as the balls spun around, thinking you had a shot, right? For most, I'm sure Powerball, scratch-off tickets, and other games are a momentary distraction from reality that allow us to dream for a moment. But, when does it hurt to dream? 

 While I stood in line at a local convenient store to get my two Powerball tickets, the line was getting slower as two people were standing at the counter picking and picking, a larger number of scratch-off tickets and a large number of Cash 3 and Powerball tickets. First you would expect me and the line to complain, but everyone seemed patient with the older ladies. But the thing that was going through my mind was, are these ladies spending their limited income on this? 

 I'm not here to judge, it just made me sad to think of the thousands, maybe even millions,  who put up their hard earned cash for this kinda' dream. I know, I'm one to talk with my slip in my hand. But four years ago, I took a hard look at my situation and thought, I can do better. And, even at the age I was 46, I knew I could do better. So now at 50, I have met two lifelong goals, two degrees with my name on each of them that say graduate. 

 I guess the moral to my tale is this, never say never, pursue what you know you can. Be realistic and be happy in the pursuit. Because, it never hurts to dream.
    

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