Before the numbers are revealed everyone says “If I hit it big I’m never working another day in my life.”  After the numbers are drawn and someone actually hits it big, at the interview on television he or she says, “It won’t change me at all.  I’ll still live in the same house, drive the same car, work at the same job.”  After the numbers are drawn and someone actually hits it big, on the phone with his or her boss, he or she says, “Take your job and shove it!”

We don’t know how we’d react.  The biggest hit we can remember is He hit a state drawing for $40.  That allowed him to shove his job for about four minutes.  But, He has had some other wins.  Not counting the occasional silent auction or charitable raffle with a top prize of a questionable line drawing or an equally questionable wine vintage, he’s hit it big at casinos and racetracks even if the PowerBall, MegaMillions, and state offerings have let him down.

Big might be just a bit of an exaggeration.  There was one night at a local harness track when he had a hard time picking a loser.  But since most of the bets were of the pedestrian $2 variety and most of the winners were favorites, the winnings didn’t tally very high.  And there was one trip to Las Vegas that ended up as a break even trip.  For him, breaking even isn’t far from winning.  But then when one seeks out nickel slot machines and $2 tables, winning isn’t far from breaking even.

So when it comes to games of chance, you could say that he is pretty lucky.  But his luckiest was last summer when he really hit it big.  It was just about a year ago when he was in a hospital bed and his doctor came in and said, “All the tests are back and there is no cancer.  We got it all.”

Since then there have been other days in the hospital.  There have been lots of pills and tests and scans.  But no cancer.  There have been days at work when he’d rather have been doing anything but be at work.  There have been days off where he’d have rather been doing something more constructive.  But there have been days.  Days that might not have been.

So if every now and then we miss a Monday or a Thursday post (or both), or it seems like one was particularly short or another somewhat rambling, it might have been one of those days.

But at least there are days.  Even if there isn’t a big lottery winner, having the day is winning enough.

Now, that’s what we think. Really. How ‘bout you?