Wishes

The Mega Millions jackpot is up to $170 million.

I'm not usually a lottery player, or a gambler of any type, but when the lottery gets up that high, I have to go for it!

To be sure, I don't need anything material in my life. I certainly have everything I need, and much more.

I don't even really want anything material all that badly.

That's not to say I wouldn't love to see what I could do with $170 million. And besides, it's fun to make wishes, to imagine!

I would:

Pay the college tuition for every kid in our extended family, not just our own children. Actually, I'd pay for any adults in the family who wanted to go back to school, too.

Help out several families I know with special needs children. Expenses to educate children with non-mainstream needs can be exorbitant.

Donate more than we currently do to many worthwhile local organizations.

Buy my mother-in-law the house she really wants.

Of course, even though I don't need anything material, I would make a few changes. I mean, $170 million! Who wouldn't splurge a little?

So, if I had $170 million, I'd sell the suburban house we live in and buy two places: one in the city, and one in the country. (OK, in the interest of honesty, with that much money, I'd probably buy a couple of vacation homes, too: one on the ski slopes somewhere, one on the beach somewhere...) But they wouldn't have to be big places! Big is overrated. But diverse, now, that's exciting.

My other self-indulgent splurge would be to travel a bit more. To places a bit farther away and a bit more exotic.

And the rest? Well, the main thing $170 million would buy is peace of mind. Without concern for the housing market, the stock market, the job market, the cost of college tuition, the value of retirement savings, and more, we could simply pursue our interests, whether they are financially profitable or not.

But these are just wishes. Just flights of fancy. Something to amuse my mind. Isn't it fun to play sometimes?