Dear Editor,

Lottery tickets are popular. They represent hope for people who don鈥檛 feel financially secure. One lottery jackpot is often $50 million. It would be a miracle indeed if any one in our house won, because no one plays. What would it be like to win?

Let鈥檚 just say that the winner is you. Let鈥檚 just say that you decided to spend it all before you died, and did not invest it. Let鈥檚 assume you will live for 50 more solar orbits. Your mission if you choose to accept it is to spend $1 million per year for the next 50 years. How would your life change?

You would have to spend over $83,000 per month, $19,000 per week, or $2,777 per day. You would still need to sleep, and take care of your personal requirements, so lets just say that there are 12 hours per day to spend spending. $231 per hour, every waking hour for 50 years might be daunting for you. Maybe you would hire someone to do your shopping for you, especially if you don鈥檛 like shopping.

Would you bother doing laundry, or just buy new clothes? You might not have time to wash clothing. You may become a bit anxious about staying on your spending schedule. You may have to eat more expensive food even if, like the band the Bare Naked Ladies, you prefer macaroni and weiners. Caviar for breakfast? Yuck!

Your life would change in ways that are hard to imagine. Would you still have the same friends? Would you have a lot of new ones who keep telling you how great you are? Would you have to be more concerned about security? Would you become less concerned about needy people as requests for contributions mounted?

Would you trade in your car every month instead of changing the oil? Would your loved ones be at risk of being kidnapped? Would you become addicted to sparkling mineral water, shipped in glass bottles all the way from France?

After further thinking, it might not be as much fun as it once seemed to be wealthy. It might be downright hazardous. $50 million is not a lot of money to a billionaire. I don鈥檛 see how it would be possible to spend that much money in one lifetime. Can you imagine the weight of responsibility that carries with it?

In our house we try to be grateful, when we are checking the couch cushions for change. After all we have a couch鈥� and a comfortable place to live.

David Lee Roth was asked about money, and he said something like 鈥淢oney can鈥檛 buy you happiness, but if you have enough money you can buy a big yacht and cruise up along side of happiness, and wave Hellooo鈥︹��

Another wag once commented that being rich isn鈥檛 everything, but being poor really sucks.

Most people in Canada, if they really think about it, have more than they need. In our house we are glad that we have enough. We have enough and are grateful that we can share with others. Everyone has something they can share. It鈥檚 part of being human.

Do you have enough?

Richard Penner, 91原创 City

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鈥� READ MORE: OPINION: After curing cancer, have some fun with your billions

鈥� READ MORE: Winner is $1 million richer

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