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Given to the occasional cantankerous tendency, I thought to myself, "Ma'am, you are entirely correct and the transformation has already occurred; you're forty dollars lighter and none the wiser." Having a mind given to numbers perhaps a rehashing of 'Odds 101' (mentally of course) might put things in perspective. Surely this woman realized she was much more likely to be struck by lighting or die from a flesh eating bacteria, and just for the record I'm inclined to tell you I wished this stranger no ill-will. She looked nice enough, but despite her appearance she was also more likely to die on death row than carry a wheel-barrow of money to the bank. Her appearance spoke of a Tuesday morning golf league; out of the foursome she plays, the likelihood of two of them hitting a hole-in-one on the same hole dwarfs the blind luck of the lottery. As gray bits of scratch-off fodder began to accumulate at her feet my demeanor softened and I contemplated those things that prompt humans to ignore such odds. Perhaps it is contentment we seek, but if we ever truly desire her company most of us, myself included, must abandon the pursuit of more….more everything. When a dollar will do we want three, and if three is good how can four not be more desirable? Somewhere on our back-trail we met happiness, stood eye-to-eye and never made the connection, maybe we divorced him/her for greener pastures that really never existed. In all cases pursuit renders us blind to that which stands so obviously before us. I allowed her to claim the fruit of her labors ahead of me (a single free ticket). In some small way the gesture made me part of this celebration. As she turned to go, I offered sincere words, "Good luck with the big game!" I tossed a pack of cigarettes onto the
counter. On the walk to my vehicle I considered the odds of my
own addictive behavior and suddenly playing the lottery didn't
seem like such a bad idea. Dan Beams is a 40-year-old self-described simple man. He lives in a small town in central Illinois, with his wife, Beth, and two children, Allie 15, and Jacob 12. By a strange twist of fate, the loss of his job last year, led to his love of writing. Although this new passion is less than a year old Dan has established a great connection to the intrinsic power of the written word. Writing has again impressed upon him the fact that the key to a successful life is to possess, in great abundance, those things not easily measured. You can read more of Dan's poetry at http://poeticjustice-dan.blogspot.com/ Send Dan a message either directly or using
the Word Catalyst feedback form. For more from Dan visit the
Word Catalyst archives or his online
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Leftovers
Yesterday I found myself third in line at a convenience
store, whistling as I waited to pay for my purchase. The middle-aged
women at the counter had no soda in her hand, had not filled
her tank at the pump, and did not ask for directions. Instead
she purchased a sampler tray; Mega-Millions ticket, several quick-picks,
and finally enough scratch-off's to polish off the forty dollars
she held in her hand. I couldn't help but notice an elevated
tone as she spoke to the cashier, "Today my life could change
forever!"
From The Attic
Cheshire Cat
Songs of
