ESCAPING REALITY

Sometimes, the real world just needs to be uninvited, you know?

My days are not awful. I volunteered for caretaker duty. But the 24/7, unending routine does affect my mood. I've tried to see the positives but, some days, it's not enough. I must have my alone time, like most people do.

We all need to have time for our home personal enjoyment and growth. Even for just a few minutes, it allows us to recharge our mental batteries.

Some people have hobbies they can devote themselves to. Some people play golf. Some people specialize in doing nothing at those times when they're feeling a little off.

I, for some strange reason, use the lottery.

I take a few minutes and imagine "what if" today's lottery folks actually drew my numbers. Yes I know the odds are really not in my favor, but someone has to win and why not ME??? Besides, the proceeds here in Pennsylvania go to help the senior citizens, so it's my duty to play... right???

I start by imagining what it would be like in preparation. What would I have to do to be ready for such a windfall? Who would I want to help and how? Where do I want to travel and when? Most importantly, which and how many cars am I going to put in my new 30000 square foot garage??

It's fun to run through the logistics, and find out just what is needed, what is possible, and what is just plain stupid. Many things on my list have changed through the years. When I first started this adventure, my list of cars was over a hundred and helping people was as easy as throwing money at a problem.

As the years went by, and I got more educated on the positives and negatives of things, the plan to help people evolved many times. As I got older, the logic of having so many cars to take care of won out over the desire to own so many different vehicles. It's now down to a more manageable 30. Or 40. Or 50. Haha

Some people get angry or hugely disappointed when the numbers they hold in their hand are not the ones on the winning list for the drawing. Although I have much hope, I don't let that get in the way of my fantasy.

There's many, many, many stories of people not handling their good fortune, and instead, have it result in seemingly endless bad luck. They squander the money. They see the bad in people that try and get their money. The happiness they thought they'd have never appeared.

How would I avoid this all-too-common Tale?

I've had decades to prepare, so I'm not going into this blind. One has to stay humble and thankful for the cards they were dealt and I truly believe that giving those less fortunate a hand up goes a long way towards keeping our feet on the ground.

Is it healthy to escape reality or is it better to just accept it and deal with it as is??

In my particular situation, there could be so many dark clouds hanging, that hope becomes a four letter word. So many things are lost and the future looks dark at best.  If I can take a very temporary trip to a nicer place where all my dreams come true, I think I will book a ticket on that flight as often as possible. It helps to offset the negativity and gives me a reason to smile, even on a day where they are out of stock.

And besides, one of these days I might actually win!!