What Would You Do With A Million Dollars?

A few events this past weekend left me wondering, "What would I do with a million dollars?" After I thought about it for a while, I wondered if I haven't been blessed with it, because I'd probably give it all away before I remembered to save a little for me. Here are some of my observations that led me to think about this a little more:

• I was visiting several stores on Friday for a job I have. As I was waiting for the salesperson in a particular shoe store I decided to peruse the shoes. I saw this cute pair of shoes, picked them up to look at the price and decided they were no longer cute. $140 for a pair of flip-flop sandals!!! That was a SMALL clue to me that this was not a place for me to shop. I picked up another pair...$240!!!!! YIKES! I left the store thinking, one pair of strappy sandals is more that one month's car payment! Why do people pay that much for a pair of shoes? Now, I will admit running shoes aren't cheap, but they are at least 50% less than a pair of those sandals. There's so much more to do with $240 than buy a pair of strappy sandals.
• Next was Friday evening. Grace's Covenant Community (the membership of my church) gathered together to be informed, challenged and just to enjoy community. The topic of the night was "leading a revolutionary lifestyle". I was pretty tired Friday night and there seemed to be a lot of words spoken and read that tried to stay in my head. Unfortunately, I think a few leaked out as I cannot remember exact words. However, I still feel the challenge of figuring out what it means to live this kind of lifestyle. If I had a million dollars, I'd want to give it to those who need it, but what is "need" in what culture. In my eyes, I may want to give to a family who seems to have "nothing", but in turn they may think they have everything they need.
• The final thing that kept this million dollar question in my mind was watching Extreme Home Makeover last night. Three children whose mother and father have both died are now living with Grandma and Grandpop in a small house with lots of problems. They go away on a vacation and return to a top of the line spacious home. How does that affect the family? Sure, it's cool to have all the new things and a room made to just your liking. However, small space forced community and now there's plenty of room in the house for everyone to live and not see each other that often. And...they have a pool too! Who's going to take care of that? I really wonder what the houses from this show look like and how the families are doing 6 or 12 months down the road. I wonder if the new house brings other dilemmas into the mix of the family.

After thinking about the million dollar question, I admit, I would take care of most of my debt first, but that doesn't even take 5% of the amount. I'm sure the government would like a chunk too. But the rest? I think it would take me exploring what it means to "help" specific people and use it in the best way. I don't think I would quit my job for I love it too much. Who knows? I guess if I ever receive a million dollars, I'll figure it out then. I know one thing...I wouldn't spend it on a $240 pair of strappy sandals. There are too many people who only get one or two meals a week right here in Indy. That kind of money could be used to give them a feast.

What would you do with a million dollars?