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The Lottery


 

After several hours of struggling with mental tasks yesterday I made myself leave the house purely to recapture some sanity. I needed to pick up some cash from the bank machine and then I thought I’d buy a few lottery tickets. 

I succumb to visions of big lottery wins about three or four times a year, largely when I have an intense desire to give to important causes. I don’t spend much. I don’t win. And, after a couple of weeks, the impulse abates. 

This is the result of enormous privilege. My first lottery ticket purchases came when I was divorced with a young child, working two jobs, and over my head in credit card debt. My dreams were the desperate dreams of struggle. My fantasies were simply of releasing the fear of going under. 

Today, though not wealthy, I have enough. Sure, we can all think of fun things to do with extra money. But  the fact that my biggest lottery dream these days is to become a philanthropist reflects a big change in my life circumstances. I am incredibly fortunate.

Back to yesterday. After my visit to the ATM I didn’t particularly want to go back home. I decided I’d visit The Novel Refuge in Laurel. The address says Laurel. The location is Cherry Tree Center. I would call the whole thing Maple Lawn adjacent. But this is not my neck of the woods. Proof of this was my exclamation, “Oh, that’s how you get to this shopping center!” 

If you know, you know.


Image from the Novel Refuge social media sites


The Novel Refuge, Inc. is a 501(c)3 public charity. We are a 100% volunteer-run used bookstore. Our mission is to support local refugee resettlement services by selling books, games, puzzles, and other literary-related items. Through our bookstore in Laurel, we promote literacy in our community and keep books in circulation and out of landfills, thus reducing waste and the environmental impact of these products. 

If you haven’t been there yet: go. It is a lovely, beautifully laid-out shop, full of fascinating treasures. If your idea of a charity shop or a used bookstore is of a dusty, dingy place full of tired merchandise you will be pleasantly surprised. I spent a long time just noodling around. 

In the end there was nothing that really spoke to me and I found myself on the verge of leaving without buying anything. That was not what I had intended. The problem was that my weakness is children’s books and I felt that I should probably leave them there for actual children to enjoy.

I noticed a sign on the wall. It said something along the lines of: The Novel Refuge, Inc. is a 501(c)3 public charity. You are welcome to make a donation.

I thought of the money I had allocated to buy lottery tickets. I gave it to the nice woman at the checkout desk and thanked them for their work. 

On the way home I found I had not the slightest desire to buy lottery tickets.

Winning the lottery is such a random thing. Visiting the Novel Refuge reminded me of the power of intentional acts, no matter how small. 

If you have some time today, read Cooperation Beyond Words by Ethan Watters and/or watch the video, Cooperation Beyond Words: Finding Opportunity and Community in Faribault, Minnesota. Let me know if you see a connection.

Lives can be transformed and worlds can be changed by small, intentional acts. And somehow I keep thinking I need to win the lottery.



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  1. Julia A. McCreadyDecember 10, 2025 at 4:54 AM

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