It Could HappenTo You

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last week, you're likely aware of the frenzy surrounding the current mega-millions lottery jackpot.  Nearing $600 million and resulting in long lines at corner stores and grocery counters, this enormous jackpot has been all over the interwebs and radio waves. 

Obviously the odds aren't exactly in your (or my) favor; I've heard they are estimated at about 175 million to one, making it more likely that you'd be struck by lightening twice than win the gargantuan sum.  Still, most people can't help but think..."it could happen!" And well, it could!

 

Remember this movie?  Nick Cage's It Could Happen to You was one of my favorite films of the nineties, reminding its viewers that in the end good things do happen to good people and chivalry and honesty are not actually dead just yet.  It's about a cop named Charlie who promises to split his potential lotto winnings with a waitress when he realizes he's short a tip.  As you might imagine, he winds up hitting the jackpot, seeks out the waitress, Yvonne, and he keeps his word.  My favorite scene takes place in the old Yankee stadium where our beloved cop and waitress take the neighborhood kids on a day trip to play some baseball.  (My affinity for Charlie may or may not come from the fact that even though he is from Queens he forgoes Shea in favor of the real New York ballpark.)  Charlie and Yvonne inspire dreams, not so much of the extravagance that comes with wealth (exemplified by the self-centered and wonderfully ridiculous Rosie Perez character, Muriel), but of the kind of love and kindness that supersede worldly aspirations for fortune.  It gives you the hope that there are still people out there who value humility, happiness, service, and graciousness.  It's sweet and heartfelt and I am a big fan of the message.

Don't get me wrong, that does not mean that I haven't played the "what if" game along with everyone else in Western civilization - I certainly have.  I've fantasized about buying a little farm overlooking the river and spending all my time caring for my animals, and I've daydreamed about how, with millions of found dollars, I could take care of the family that's alway taken care of me and champion a few other worthy causes.  If you haven't let your mind wander to such things I have very serious suspicions that you may be a robot.  

So what's on your jackpot wishlist?  As you indulge like I have in the $1 quick picks and office lotto pools, I hope you're lucky enough to recognize that life is already full of the better kind of riches.  If, like Yvonne, you're just waiting to catch a break and find a little more love in your life, I hope you still believe that whether you're looking for your own Charlie or your own personal jackpot, it could happen to you.