What WOULD I do? And you?

I bought a lottery ticket on Friday. The jackpot was over 100 million, worth $2.00 for two sets of numbers. I mean, if I won, that'd be a heck of a return on investment, well worth not buying the cup of coffee I was thinking about.

I didn't win.

Sigh.

As I was paying the nice lady at the convenience store for the ticket, she asked me what I would do with all that money.

I told her "Probably give most of it away", which is true.

Have you played the "What I'd buy with the lottery money" game?

I have. Many times. Let's play.

I would:

Clear debts - pay off my house, mum's land and house, and zero out every bill we have. Then I'd do the same for the people I love, if they'd let me. Friends, family, even my sister-outlaw (my ex-sister-in-law who refuses to let me out of the family, bless her!) and my ex-husband. Everyone gets set to zero, at the very least.

Establish trusts for the children in my life - mine and other people's. I wouldn't tell the kids about it...but I'd make sure the money would work, build itself, be there for them, help them establish themselves in life...and if they fall, they wouldn't fall too far or have too hard a landing.

Buy land. Lots of it.

Build the house I've dreamed of. It's not large - but it's spacious, and it's as green as I can make it. It's a house meant to last generations, meant to be sustainable off the grid should society go to hell.

Build a good, sturdy, tall fence.

Buy an RV (a small one that I could drive).

Travel from time to time.

Once I had my Haven, once I'd seen to the people I love, helped them get a better footing in life (without, I hope, ruining them, because money can, has, and will do that to a body), once I'd seen to the next generation's needs and set aside enough to keep me and mine in comfort, and a little extra for mad money...then I'd start looking for ways to use the rest to benefit my world.

There'd likely be a pagan scholarship or ten. Why not? There are Christian ones, and Muslim ones, and ones for people of varying ethnicity...why not a pagan one, too?

Donate to ailing and failing library systems.

Donate to the women's shelter.

Donate to clinics and hospitals that treat people without insurance (because I may resist the idea of nationalized healthcare, but I'm fine with paying for someone else when it's my CHOICE).

Fund a no-kill animal shelter and donate to local shelters - they're crowded, and the future is looking rather grim for our four-legged friends. As the economy tanks, they lose.

Employ people.

Repay the kindness some of my fellow bloggers have shown me, and then pay it forward, too.

Be a patron of the arts...so many symphonies, theatres, dance troupes, and museums need love and support, and I really do think the arts are vital to our collective soul.

Keep my promise to share with the Waffle house waitress, the nice stocker-lady, produce and deli people, and cashiers at Publix who are always so kind and just genuinely nice people (hey, Publix? They're why I drive past TWO other, newer, sometimes cheaper grocery stores to get to you).

Think I can't do all that? Yes, I can - because what I need to keep me happy for the rest of my life isn't money...although greenbacks will help. What I need is space, and knowing that the people I love are OK, that they can live without fearing the loss of home or health. I need freedom to be myself, to raise my son to be strong, free-thinking, and independent.

Oh...and maybe some lipo and new boobs, because I wouldn't mind a less-than-fifty-acre ass and something that a bra could actually fit. Yep, shallow as a teaspoon, baby.

Your turn - tell me what you'd do with $100 million smackers.