Once again a clerk called out “Good luck!” as he handed my lottery ticket to me. Once again, as always, I laughed.
This time the clerk added, “Call me when you win. I’ll pack my bag and meet you at the airport.”
I laughed louder. But to cut to the end of the story – that ticket didn’t win even one dollar and we didn’t meet at the airport.
However, it immediately came to mind that he assumed the first thing I would want to do was to leave. And on my part, I assumed his comment revealed that he would leave our little hometown if he were financially free.
Does he want to leave? Was he just joking? What is keeping him here? Other customers were waiting so I could not explore this with him.
What would be my answers if he had asked those questions of me? Would I want to leave? What is keeping me here? Is there someplace else I want to be?
Family is not keeping me here. I am not related by blood or marriage to anyone in the town or even the whole county. I don’t need to stay here to be close to family. In truth, if I needed to be close to family, I would need to move hundreds, or even thousands, of miles from here.
Nor is finances tying me here. I am not rich, but my income is secure – baring of course a complete and total global financial meltdown or our legislators being stupid beyond any comprehension. And I must admit to comprehending a monstrance level of stupidity on the part of our legislators. But I digress…
Neither is my profession is a chain to this place. Obviously, I am in the “have laptop, will travel” category of work.
Would winning the BIG WIN change any of this?
Nope, nada, not an iota.
I am free now. I would be no freer with the BIG WIN in my pocket.
My child tells me that everything I like to DO is somewhere else. That I have to GO to DO and SEE the things I like to DO and SEE.
So what keeps me here? Keeps me from packing my bag and zipping off to the airport?
Plain and simple, I like it here.
I like the people. I like that we wave to each other as we drive by each other. I like that they call out hello as they walk by my home. I like that someone mowed my lawn when I away being really ill. I like that someone parked in my driveway while I was away so it would not be obvious I was gone.
I like my church. I like that they are joyful as they worship. I like that at church dinners we discuss ways to help the homeless. I like that we actually carry out those plans.
I like my house. I like that there is room for my piano and my books. I like that the garden is big enough to have roses and fruit trees and a labyrinth, and a “meadow” for the bugs.
I like the weather – except for August. August is so hot that even the Devil returns to Hell for relief. But the rest of the year is mild and relatively gentle.
I like the water. I like that our tap water is sweet and doesn’t ever smell of chemicals.
I like that when I GO to DO and SEE all those other things I like, I get to come home to this quiet place and these friendly people.
I would use my BIG WIN to do things to make this town look better, to provide more of those DO and SEE things than we have now. to make it more attractive for economic development. But to leave…? Nope, nada, not a chance.
I would consider meeting the clerk at the airport so we could go on an adventure. Yes, I would consider that.
But I would return. Yes, I would certainly return back here.