Day Thirteen: If you had a billion US dollars, how would you spend it?
Okay, so… a billion dollars is more money than I realistically think I would know what to do with!
First, I’d probably pay off my kids’ mortgages and any student and/or vehicle loans they may be carrying at the time. If they didn’t each have a home of their own yet, I’d help them get one. Moderate homes, not big fancy mansions or anything. Homes sufficient to meet their needs in a location of their choosing. Maybe set up some funds of some sort that they could access to help in the case of any future emergency situations and/or to cover the costs of quality education for my future grandchildren.
After that, I’d likely help out any of my extended family and close friends who were in need of assistance establishing some security in their lives. I really don’t think anyone should have to stress over having a place to live and food to eat, at the very least.
There would still be plenty of money left, I mean, it IS a BILLION dollars—a thousand millions… after taking care of my family and friends’ needs, and setting some aside to cover my own needs and funding my retirement, I would really like to be able to set up some charity funds.
I’ve always wished I could afford to do more to help young people who’ve perhaps been wards of the state and/or spent time in foster care or group homes because of abusive or neglectful family situations, especially those who’ve aged out and find themselves tossed out into the world on their own.
Maybe some merit-based scholarship funds to help make up the difference between financial aid and the costs of tuition, to be used either for college or some sort of trade school. Also, some sort of housing fund that provided grants or zero/low-interest loans and other assistance, like counseling and advisors, to help them secure safe, decent housing, set up realistic budgets, and aid with other (often overlooked) life skills so they could get get their lives started on solid footing.
I just feel like there is so much that could be done with that amount of money to actually HELP people live richer, fuller, more secure lives….
Day Fourteen: What is your preferred mode of travel?
By far, I prefer driving. Myself. Driving myself.
I trust myself to drive wherever. The trouble with that is that there isn’t always enough time to drive everywhere. Then there’s also the fact that while I trust myself to drive, I can’t really trust every other driver on the road.
Except, I don’t like driving on super busy highways or cities with a gazillion one-way streets or to places where I have to parallel park, especially if it’s on a busy street to boot! I once made a wrong turn on my way to Florida and got stuck on the Capitol Beltway. That was wholly terrifying!
I’ve flown, too, which wasn’t awful. It might be my second choice. It’s definitely my preferred option in those cases where there just isn’t enough time to actually drive.
