A Selfless Winner

An 82 year-old man, widower, father of 10, grandfather and great-grandfather of 47, won $144 million dollars from the DC lottery!

After the Feds and DC take their cuts he will take home close to $80 million. For good reason, he wanted to remain nameless and has done the responsible thing and established trusts for his kinfolk to get educated. And while many claimed that they were happy for the man because he deserves it (I guess because he’s old)…I know many were like damn, how can an 82 year old really enjoy that kind of money? Isn’t he’s too old to enjoy it.

Then I got to thinking about how, at minimum, 57 other people’s lives are about to change because of this one man’s winnings. I mean let’s just say that one of his 10 children had won, or even one of the 47-would they have set up trust funds and invest in their entire family for the better? I know we all boast that if we won the lottery we would pay off bills, maybe buy momma a new house…but after that I think most of us would be oh so frivolous with our spending. Buying up multiple cars, clothes, sipping champagne cause we thirstay...making rain in da club (or maybe it’s just me). And after my friend told me that he would by multiple boats and cars and gave no thought to their maintenance and insurance- I thought, yeah, maybe an 82 year-old man does deserve to win because he’s going to be wiser with his, compared to a person a fourth his age.

And I think these things as a person who is in her twenties, an only child, single, no children and a renter (all the makings of a person who doesn’t have to think of others much). So it’s hard for me to imagine myself as a responsible older person thinking about the needs, and not just the wants of others...after I have thought extensively about myself first. I have this idea in my mind that if and when I’m in my eighties-after my children are raised and their children are on the scene I’m going to be doing what I can but not be doing everythang for them.

The aged deserve a time of rest…right? I think Old Amaretto will cosign on this thought!

But at Easter, as the family assembled at my grandmother’s house I watched her busy herself with cooking and cleaning after teenagers who are more than capable of doing for themselves. I told my grandmother not to make beds or set tables. I told my teenage cousins not to let our grandmother make beds or set tables…and in the end my grandma still ended up doing it. (author's note: don’t ask me where I was in the story-just know I was sitting on the sideline in principle and for the sake of telling a story). It made me sooooo upset 1) because my grandmother has done so much for all of us 2) I just think kids today are lazy and 3) most importantly- I had to make beds and set tables when I was my cousins’ age. WTF? Why come they don't have too? (sorry only child tantrum moment).

When I told my friend all about the shameful acts of my cousins, he met my emotion with “some older people like doing things for their family.” Say whaaaat? I mean yeah they do, but after decades of doing, don’t they just get sick of it? Shoot I'm sick of it and I'm not even 30 yet!

It blew my mind, because I recognized the truth in his statement. I guess because I think that at a certain age I’m going to need folks to be doing stuff for me, I just can’t imagine getting to that point of making beds and setting tables for folks who are more than able to do that for beaver-damn selves. And while I will say that I am helpful, I can’t say that I am selfless.

At minimum this 82 year old has effected change that will affect the lives of 57 people. And though one can ask, what else could an old man do with all that money? I say that there is a lot, and being selfless just happened to be one way he could enjoy his riches,. Hopefully I grow to that point. But until then...I too would say he deserved to win every penny he got!

See You In Seven