I’m not much of a gambler, but over the last few weeks everyone at the firm has been purchasing Powerball tickets as a team, and who knows? We could win! I find myself fantasizing about what if.

Have you ever thought about what you would do if you won the lottery? For me, remaining anonymous would be a priority. Then I would fly off to paradise with my family for a few weeks and gather all their input to figure out just what we should do with our winnings. I know I would pay off bills for our family members.  My husband suggested that we just give away our current investments and belongings and go somewhere warm and start from scratch.  That’s not such a bad idea. I find myself smiling when I imagine us anonymously surprising someone by doing something spectacular for a person in need just because we can.

Although I know there are things I would change, many things would be kept relatively the same.  I wouldn’t necessarily want to attain any specific material items, but I would look to improve quality of life. For myself, my intention of improving quality of life means allowing myself to spend a little extra money freeing up more time enjoying life.  Instead of doing everything myself, I then would have more time to take things in stride. That could mean hiring staff to assist me with my business or my home so I could spend all my time concentrating on those I love and hold close to my heart without the daily distractions and the hustle and bustle.  I guess it would somehow let us give ourselves permission to stop and smell the roses…something that gets put off all too often.  My loved ones would then have all of me and I would have all of them.  If you ask me, that’s something you can’t put a price tag on.

- Erin Dodd

What I would do with my cut of the Billion Dollar Power Ball

Ok, a girl can dream, can’t she?!?

Well, first and foremost, I would take care of my family and my friends who are like my family. Oh, the things I could do to help originations in our area. I would give some of my winnings to help find a cure for cancer, to help all domestic violence victims, to help abused children, to help those who have drug problems and more. My list could go on and on.  But my one passion in life is dogs.  I would love to help our local shelters and my one goal would be to open a home/hospice for dogs.   I would love to make sure they are cared for in a way that they know that they are loved long- or short- term.  Most shelters don’t have the time or the means to do this. I find it hard to believe that a person would dump their pet at the shelter because they just don’t want to take the time to care for them when they age.  My love of dogs has always been strong and I’ve always been a caretaker for someone in my life, but taking care of a dog is a privilege that not too many people understand.

I want any dog in the last stages of life to have it good life, whether it’s playing with a bunch of balls, eating favorite foods or just sleeping in a comfortable bed before they head over the Rainbow Bridge. This would make me one happy lady.  I would do it in the name of love, Otis the Dog and Zoey Girl because no dog should ever have to head to their final resting place alone or without looking into the eyes of a loving human who really cares about what happens.

What an awesome place it would be!

Bark on Bordas Dog Nation, Bark on.

-Jeanne Dedo