The Year of What If

Monday, October 16, 2024

Dear Diary,

Today, the local news announced that someone here in Oregon won the Powerball lottery worth $1.3 billion dollars. A crazy amount of money, right?! That gave me the idea for my senior thesis. I'll be asking people what they would do if they won that much cash and then analyze their answers from a psychological perspective. Cool topic, right?

I may as well start with myself. I don't play the lottery and don't gamble in general. When I learned in statistics class the chances of winning, it just seemed like just throwing money away. Don't most lottery winners go broke? I'll have to look that up. Anyway…I can't even imagine what I would do with that much money. So much responsibility. Well, that's me. I gotta figure out who else to talk to.

Sunday, December 1, 2024

Dear Diary,

My school is going to the college playoffs! Go Ducks!! It was such big fun at my brother's house yesterday for the final regular football game of the season. Anyhoo, it gave me a chance to ask Jeremy what he would do if he won the Powerball jackpot, which no one has claimed yet. 

He said he would do two things right away. First, he would quit his job, which my research shows ten percent say they would do. Only ten? Well, he doesn't find his job as a claims adjuster "inspiring," so that makes sense. He gets depressed when people try to cheat the system. 

Second, Jeremy said he would "explore creative pursuits, like painting and writing." That surprised me in a good "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs" sorta way. Who knew my practical brother had a creative side? Anyway, he impressed me. I told him he could buy museums and publishing houses with that kind of money, but he just shrugged. 

I found Tiffany in the kitchen making a salad for football night, and her response was very different. She said, "Buy a beachfront house in Hawaii, throw elaborate parties, and cruise the world on a private yacht." I believed my brother married her for her looks and partying ways, but I wondered where my brother and their children were in this fantasy? I didn't have the heart to ask.

So, I have two case studies for my project, a "self-actualizer" and a "hedonistic seeker." I'll keep it to myself that if they did win a substantial amount of money, I don't see them staying together. Nearly half of those surveyed said they'd consider leaving their partner. Yikes.

Monday, December 16, 2024

Dear Diary,

More boxes from Rick today--Christmas presents for friends. I took advantage of our casual acquaintance and asked him what he would do with his billion-dollar winnings. He didn't hesitate, "Disappear." "Really?" I asked. He had it all planned out. He wouldn't tell a soul. He'd hire an attorney and a finance person, then he would take his lump sum and go somewhere where people didn't know him and start his life all over again. I asked him about his wife, and he didn't want to go into details, but he hinted that his disappearing act would be a solo venture. 

My third case study is a postal carrier, who I'm calling the "re-inventor."

Monday, April 7, 2025

Dear Diary,

Why didn't I think of interviewing Joy long ago? I see her every week at the grocery store. People don't usually talk to each other while food shopping, right? But customers are attracted to her like a bear to honey…and they talk about personal matters. Her superpower is making everyone feel like they're her friend—me included. 

Anyway, when I asked her if she played the lottery, she bowed her head and blushed a little, and I knew the answer. Joy immigrated from Taiwan, and her mother still lived there with other family members. When I asked her what she'd do with a billion dollars, she became animated and said she would bring all her family to live here. Then, she quickly added that she would create a charity to house and assist new immigrants who come to this country. Her dream fits with her generous nature. 

My fourth case study, I'm calling the "philanthropist." 

Monday, July 7, 2025

Dear Diary,

I'm so happy that I took the summer off from school. Well, not really off since I'm still working on my senior thesis. Now that I have the case studies in place, I need to find research to either back up my assertions or refute those that don't. It's starting to come together!

Unfortunately, Jeremy and Tiffany are having a tough time. They're in counseling, though, so I'm hoping for the best. 

Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Dear Diary,

You'll notice it's exactly one year since I started this diary. I confess I haven't been totally honest with you, but when you find out why, you'll understand. I couldn't risk my laptop being stolen or someone snooping or someone accessing my cloud. 

Let's travel back to that day a year ago. I'd been shopping, and when I came out of the store, I saw a piece of paper on the ground. Being me, I picked it up to recycle it. I thought it was a store receipt, but it wasn't. It was a Powerball lottery ticket with a time stamp of just seven minutes ago. I stood there in the parking lot like a scarecrow in the middle of a cornfield, and I spun around, looking for whoever had dropped the ticket. No one was around, so I tucked it in my pants pocket. 

I forgot about it until the next day when everyone learned there was a billion-dollar winner here in Oregon. It made the national news. I pulled out the ticket, checked the numbers, checked the numbers again and again. I had the winning ticket! I started laughing so hard till I cried, and then I started to shake. The thought of that much wealth scared me.

At that moment, I wanted to know what other people would do with a bank account that big, and that became my senior project. My deadline for redeeming the ticket with the lottery office was one year, and that's today. 

What did my case studies teach me?

• The "hedonist" showed me that just seeking pleasure would be an empty life.
• The "self-actualizer" taught me that money buys time to be creative if you choose a career that's not in sync with your passion.
• The "re-inventor" revealed that some people are unhappy with their lives and don't see a way out.
• The "philanthropist" showed how familial relationships, especially in a foreign land, mean more than money, and charity feeds the soul. 

For me, the bottom line was that people focused on the benefits of getting an unimaginable amount of money, without considering the downsides. My research taught me that huge lottery payouts can bring a lot of conflict. Winners become targets of mooching relatives and scam artists. It becomes difficult to trust people. 

So what am I going to do with all that money, you ask? Wrong question! The question should be, did you redeem your ticket?

No, I did not.

The deadline passed, and I’m so relieved! I didn't want serendipity to determine my life course. The downsides were too great for me. According to state law, the unclaimed $1.3 billion will be transferred to an education fund. I'm cool with that! 

I'm not going to tell anyone about this because I know what they'll say. "You're crazy for not taking the money!!!" Who needs that criticism? Instead, I will steer my life toward what I desire and what feeds my soul without the money headaches. 

I no longer need you, Diary. I've turned in my senior project, one I'm proud of. Now, I'm off to live my best life with my new psychology degree. 

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that Jeremy and Tiff have worked things out. I'm going to be an aunt again next summer!

One last thing, I've framed the unredeemed Powerball ticket to remind me to stay on course with what's important and what's not.

Are you sure you want to delete diary.txt? Yes.