March 28, 2024

SMITH: Wealth matters

The U.S. has two new multi-millionaires in the last couple of weeks. Both Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots were won on one ticket each. Since the winning tickets were bought in Maryland and Michigan, I’ll just assume none of you were the winner. Neither was I. In the off chance you were traveling and just happened to purchase your tickets there, I would make an excellent publicist and personal memoir writer if you are hiring.

I wish the new millionaires well, but statistics are not on their side. According to playusalotteries.com, nearly half of all lottery winners lose the entire fortune within five years. And a whopping 90% say they have lost friends because of their winnings.

The fact is, we’ve already won the lottery. We live in the United States of America where we have freedoms undreamed of and wealth unheard of in other parts of the world.

I live in a snug, warm building and even though there is 8 feet of snow outside (that might have been inches, but after shoveling it yesterday, I’m sticking with feet) I am warm and cozy. I have a cup of instant cappuccino made with my instant hot water dispenser — because I was too lazy this morning to use my actual espresso machine with my freshly ground beans to brew and ice cold milk to froth and a choice of four flavored syrups to sweeten it. I am rich.

Less fortunate people than I may have a cold wind swirling through their broken windows or their tent and no milk in their refrigerator — or no refrigerator at all.

In a couple of hours, I will get in my automatic vehicle that is currently housed in my safe, warm garage and drive to work. I am certain it will start and make it there, but if it should not, I have the choice of borrowing my husband’s truck or asking for a ride or even working from home.

Others may not have those options and still others are living in their cars.

It is only a few blocks to work, but I don’t have to walk there. There are folks right here in Creston that don’t have that luxury. In fact, I was one of those folks for most of my childhood. But even so, I was rich. I might have had to walk to the grocery store or ride my bike to school or get a ride to where I needed to go and I might not have had all the money to buy things with that some others had, but I had enough.

I don’t ever remember going hungry in my life. That was partially through government assistance while I was growing up and partially through the fruits of our own garden and livestock. But to have the funding available and the fertile ground and the knowledge passed down through generations of how to care for and harvest both vegetable and animal — that is wealth.

I grew up wearing handmade and hand-me-down and donated clothing (let’s stop for a moment and say, “please don’t donate polyester double knit pants with a seam stitched down the front to fifth-graders.”) but I was warm and clothed.

Now I have a closet stuffed with too much clothing and an automatic washer and dryer to keep them clean instead of the portable washer on the porch and the clothesline of my youth. I am rich — I was rich then, too.

When my children were young, I remember one of them saying, “I hate being poor,” when I didn’t have money to take them to McDonald’s on a particular day. My child, the fact that you had ever had McDonald’s in the first place and that there was plenty of food at home made us rich.

I am hesitant to even count the number of electronic devices in my home. There are more televisions than people, cell phones for both of us, separate computers plus tablets if we don’t feel like picking up the whole five-pound weight of a laptop, not to mention all of the items I can turn on and off with just my voice. I am embarrassingly wealthy.

And I haven’t even gotten started on the intangible wealth I have — family, friends, abilities, etc. — but that’s a different lottery.

Wealth matters. We just have to see it and appreciate it and then use it to better our world.

Should I ever be fortunate enough to win the lottery, I can just imagine all of the good I could do. I could give to food banks and help the homeless and buy clothing for less fortunate children and help fund education.

But I am already rich and, chances are, so are you. We can give both goods and money to causes for the needy. And if not that, we can give our time. (Check out the CNA’s volunteer listing to see where in the surrounding areas you are needed. Or check with your church, or a school or a hospital or befriend your neighbors’ children.)

Clean out your closet and donate the things that are just taking up space. Invite someone you know has a little less than you to your home for a meal — or drop one off to stay socially distant.

Read to a child; have a chat with an elderly neighbor; be patient with that kid next door who is always bouncing a ball against the wall or tromping through your yard; offer to babysit for a single mother so she can go to the grocery store in peace. Give of yourself as well as your money.

Spread the wealth; we don’t need to wait until we win the lottery.

Wealth matters, so see what you already have and use it wisely.

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Let me know what matters to you at rsmith@crestonnews.com, 641-782-2141 ext. 6433, or c/o Creston News Advertiser, 503 W. Adams St., Creston, Iowa 50801.

Regina Smith

Reporter, columnist, teacher, children's book author, book store owner - Regina Smith has a wide range of experience in writing and education. She combines those interests and experiences to cover city and county government and human interest stories as well as writing a biweekly column in her home town of Creston, Iowa.