My Chance of Being Struck By Lightning Is Probably Higher

A few days ago, I mentioned that during our 5-minute visit at the Missouri Lottery office to cash in my $1000 winner, Hick and I encountered another winner. A guy who said he was shaking, and didn't know what to do next. Try as we might, we could not get our noses deep enough into his business. We are dying to know how much he won.

Hick said he could remember the guy's face. So I've been checking the News Releases on the Missouri Lottery website. Sometimes they put the winner's picture in the release. When I see a story that might be that guy, I ask Hick to look at the picture. So far, he's said, "That's not the guy." This morning, I showed Hick the latest winner story that I looked at last night. And Hick said, "That's him."

Hick can't remember to wipe his muddy feet upon entering the homestead, but he can remember the face of a stranger that he saw for a couple of minutes ten days ago. When quizzed on this feat, Hick said, "I remember faces. From when I used to work in the station." Let the record show that Hick began his working life at the age of 13, and the first few jobs during his school years were at gas stations. I don't know why he remembered his customers. Drive-offs weren't a thing back then, because Hick is the one who pumped the gas.

Anyhoo...here's the story. That guy won $100,000! The top prize on a $5 ticket. It's a ticket Hick and I buy. Purchases about 40 miles from here. Hick knows that convenience store. He said he's stopped there a handful of times for gas.

The winner from the Gas Station Chicken Store was on the website, too. I guess that gal decided to say that she bought the ticket, lest there be any claims against her win, even though the clerk who sold it said her boyfriend is the one who came in, and said he was buying a ticket for his girlfriend. No picture or much of a story on her, but here's the news release.

I don't NEED a hundred thousand dollars. But of course I'd like to win it. I don't buy the scratchers thinking of the top prize, because I consider that unattainable. I don't really think about what that top prize is when I'm choosing my tickets. I hope for a winner that's in the hundreds, or maybe a thousand. Because that keeps me playing. Hick is always dreaming of the top prize. He only buys tickets occasionally.

What are the odds that I would be leaning my elbows on a counter, a few inches and a few hours away from a $100,000 winner, and within the same week, be standingwithin arm's reach of a $100,000 winner that a guy was cashing in? I'd say pretty long, those odds.

I'm still going to scratch. You never know. If I'm meant to win big, I will. If not, I'm perfectly happy being luckier than average with my smaller wins.

Oh yeah...on my way to Oklahoma Casinos Minipalooza, I bought a few scratchers:

This $5 ticket won $100. It's the same kind that won the jackpot for the lottery office guy.