The smell of frying pierogi, tomato soup, avocadoes, and blueberry pie reached my nose. My mom is telling my sister to do her homework, telling me how she liked what I just played on the piano, and talking to her sister in Austria, all at the same time. Just an ordinary day of my childhood. Nothing remarkable – or so I thought at the time. As I’ve grown older and become more appreciative of the blessings I’ve received throughout my lifetime, I’ve realized how much I took for granted the huge role of my mother in my life. So without a doubt, if I won the lottery, the first person I’d call would be my mom. She has sacrificed so much for my whole family in so many ways without receiving any type of monetary reimbursement. Giving up a career to raise your children is rather countercultural in this day and age, but today I am extremely thankful for her sacrifice. As a kid, I never appreciated the simple things she did every day. Today, I would love to be able to call her and tell her that she doesn’t need to worry about paying the bills, but that she can just relax and pursue her dreams. Going off of that, a considerable chunk of the money would go towards opening a café or restaurant for my mom. One of her dreams has always been to own a business, specifically, a unique Polish café or restaurant. Another big part would go to pay off all of my parents’ debts, as well as my siblings’.
If you can’t tell by now, family is pretty much everything to me, so I would also love to give large amounts of money to my aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents that live in Poland and aren’t particularly wealthy, but just get by. I would love for all of my family, close and extended, to not have to worry about financial concerns, but simply pursue whatever dreams they hold in their hearts.
After taking care of my family, I would reach out to those in need in the world around me. First off, donate to a charity that’s very close to my heart: Mustard Seed Communities. This charity opened my eyes to the overwhelming material poverty in Third World countries when I went on a mission trip with them this past spring. While it revealed the material poverty in such countries as Nicaragua, it also showed me their spiritual and cultural richness. I would donate $15 million to this charity and other similar ones that uphold the dignity of each human being living in poverty. After this, I would donate $2 million to start a fund for young people in the U.S. who want to experience poverty first-hand. Experience is the best education, and I believe such a program would start a ripple effect, motivating many to help those in need around the world and in their own communities.
Lastly, I believe in the overwhelming power of music to transform lives, so I’ve often dreamed of starting a program to teach children in poverty how to play an instrument. Music gives kids and their parents a reason to be proud and gives kids a goal that helps them stay on the right path. Lastly, I know firsthand that music has the capacity to transform our souls, so even if the children in this program wouldn’t become musicians, I am absolutely certain that they would become bigger dreamers and better people.
I think my happiness would last forever, because I wouldn’t be relying on the money itself to bring me comfort and pleasures. If I was, then the “happiness” would be very, very short-lived. However, I would keep very little money for myself, so seeing “my” money help my fellow humans – and, in particular, my family – around the world would bring me great and long-lasting joy.
I think that most celebrities and famous athletes that go broke do so because they get caught up in the mentality that money will buy them pleasure, which they think leads to happiness. And, quite frankly, that’s a lie. Anyone that thinks in this way will just keep pursuing fleeting pleasures in the hope that they’ll last, but they won’t, they simply can’t. Eventually, their money supply will run dry and they’ll be left with nothing but regrets. As Mother Teresa once said, “Needs increase because one thing calls for another. The result is uncontrollable dissatisfaction.” This is a common circle that many wealthy people get caught up in. If you don’t realize that money and the finite things of life aren’t the goal of life, then you’re missing out on true happiness – the kind of happiness found in laughing with friends, a hug from a parent, being jumped on out of joy by your dog, the unuttered gratitude of the poor person you help, and simply, the joy of being alive.
