Winning the Lottery

If you were to win the lottery what would you do? This is a question that we have all thought about at one time or another. Would you buy a house, car, get out of debt, or give it to charity?

I thought I had the answer nailed down to this question, until a co-worker and I were talking this morning about how little time we had and it made it hard to juggle work, school, families and the gym. He has plans for a house and other things that he would want, just as I do, but he said something that has been plaguing me ever since. He said that he would buy time.

Time?

You can't buy time.

It's issued to you at the beginning of each day. You get 24 hours to spend it however you want. You can add to that or take away, it's the same amount without fail each day.

I instantly knew what he meant. Having that kind of money would give you the freedom to quit your job, and have the time to do the things that you wanted to do. You would, in a sense, be buying time.

Yeah, I would still want the house that had the kitchen that I wanted, and the small SUV for me and the pickup for my husband, as well as a motorcycle and a sports car. Probably a vette, because it's all made here by Chevy. But once those things were bought, there isn't much else I would want. No fancy jewelry, no yacht, no mansion. Just a simple 4 bedroom house with a garage and shop and the kitchen of my dreams. This house could realistically be built and furnished under 1 million dollars. I would pay off my parents mortgage and their car, because after my dad's heart attack, money is a luxury that they don't have. They do have time though, and I'm not sure that they realize how precious and luxurious that is. I would pay off my in-laws mortgage as well. And then I would anonymously pay off my dad's doctor bills and pay for insurance each year for them both. They would know who did it, but it would be more fun making them wonder. It's always fun to do something wonderful for someone else, when they have no clue who did it. Then I would invest the rest in various things and live off the interest.

These plans are probably not as grandiose as someone else's might be. They are simple, but like my co-worker said, they are buying me time. Time to read, go to the gym, watch the sunrise, watch the sunset, stitch, watch a movie with my husband, and lay in the floor and play with my puppies.

You don't realize how valuable time is, until you don't have any. Just ask someone who has only months to live. Ask someone who sent their baby off to kindergarten. Ask someone whose baby was born weeks early. Ask someone who is so busy that they don't remember what it was like to not be behind.

How valuable is your time? Mine is worth so much more than what I could win in any lottery. What is your time worth?