See a $50? Pick it up and all the day you'll have good luck

My quixotic quest of fitness paid off briefly last Saturday. While I was out running/walking, I found a $50 on the sidewalk. There was nobody around so I kept it. That’s the rule about finding money: If it’s in a wallet with a name, you return it; if there’s ID, try to find the owner. The cash was near the shady apartments so I figured it was drug money anyway and it’s better off taking Steve and me to dinner.

This is only the second time I can remember finding cash. Once when I worked at Burger King, I was cleaning up the parking lot and found $20. Back then, this would have bought two tanks of gas. Then the rest of my co-workers wanted to sweep up the lot since they might find some cash, too. It’s superstition that you would find money in the same spot twice but, wouldn’t you know it, I walked by the same spot Sunday and looked for more cash, as if the sidewalk were an ATM.

Aside from these two instances of finding cash, that’s about it for me and luck. Sure, I’ve been lucky enough to have my family and friends, health, etc., but I’m talking about the fun luck. The luck that lets you blow a little money and not feel guilty about it.

I did once hit for $400 at a slot machine and then stopped gambling rather than blow my winnings. I’m not one for gambling. I tried to play blackjack once and just could not handle playing the dealer and several other people. Whenever I would play the slots, I would watch the $20 bills slipping into the machines and think, “There goes a tank of gas, the phone bill, movie tickets,” etc. The last time I was in Las Vegas for business, I found a penny slot, which would at least let me kill time and blow that $20 in smaller increments.

I’m also almost completely ignorant when it comes to playing the lottery. The only tickets I’ve ever had were the ones people gave to me as gifts, none of which hit. I’ve never bought a lottery ticket, not even during those insane multitrillion-dollar payments, and wouldn’t know how. I would be That Guy who is trying to buy tickets and taking 20 minutes because I don’t know how to pick numbers, holding up the more experienced people behind me. I figure instead of playing the lottery, I could get the same experience by throwing $10 directly in the trash. It’s the same outcome.

I’m just averse to a lot of risk and will always take the easy bet. If I were on a game show and had reached a certain level where my winnings were guaranteed, I would gladly stop there and take my winnings home with me. If I’d won $50,000 and the host told me I could go for $1 million but could risk going home with nothing if I lost, I would disappoint the studio audience but I’d go home quite happy with my $50,000. Money I already have is always more important than money I may never have.