The thoughts of winning millions

You just think happy thoughts, they lift you in the air. – Wendy, Peter Pan

While freezing outside this afternoon waiting for the ride home, I decided to think happy thoughts. You know, I have this habit of thinking happy thoughts to assuage my daily inconveniences like missing the bus, getting rained at or simply trying to stop my bladder from bursting. When it’s cold, I usually think of hot chocolate. Well, that’s quite a given as a happy thought. Sometimes, I also try to think happy thoughts when I am terribly frustrated or irritated with someone. However, I have to admit that either it should be a REALLY BIG happy thought to take effect immediately or my small happy thought would take days to lift me in the air.

So, you might be asking, what was my happy thought of the day? Well, I ended up thinking what I would do if we won the staatslotterij (state lottery) this new year. The drawing of this lottery is one of the highlights of the new year’s celebrations in the Netherlands as I have previously written about. We bought half a lot that would have made us win half of the 27.5 million euros at stake. So that would be 14.75 million euros, if we won. However, we just won 5 euros. That’s why now, the thought of winning is just landing in my “happy thoughts fantasy world”.

Ok let’s not allow that to ruin my happy thoughts. What would I do if we won the lottery? Or what would I NOT do? I’m using “I” because it is my happy thought. I will probably travel the world with my husband and blog how beautiful and amazing the world is (I’m sure he will agree!). We will give some to charity and share some to the ones we love. We will enjoy the winnings but also save some for the future. But I will still work. Maybe not fulltime, but still work. For I believe in the adage, “There are three things that a man needs in his life — something to do, something to love (or someone) and something to look forward to.”

You might find my happy thoughts a little boring. I do not really have grand dreams of having a big house with a bowling alley and swimming pool inside and a television program about me. Instead, I would be happy to produce a television program about how we treat each other everyday, how anti-social we become in the face of social networking and how we can change it. I do not dream of having my own private plane or jet to travel the world. First, that is not good for the environment (we want to travel with the train more this year) and second, it is transformational to travel with ordinary people. You get to observe the society around you.

I also do not dream of going to parties with the most famous people around or rubbing elbows with politicians. I would rather brainstorm with nerds who can come up with projects about education, multiculturalism and the environment. Or social scientists who can assuage the problem/s of third world countries. And then I will write more, keep more hobbies, make more beaded jewelries and learn more different things everyday, meet more different people everyday and really talk to them. Just because I want to. Just because I have extra time in my hands. Just because it will be easier for me to do so. And while my husband sits under his mango tree, looking over his coffee plantation, I will be designing a bed and breakfast location.

Ahhh… dreams… happy thoughts… and then I woke up.

As of this writing, it was reported that 10 people won the lottery, so they will be sharing the 27.5 million euros with each other. I hope they enjoy it and use some for the good. There goes my happy thoughts.

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