Losing $532,000 and giving thanks

I was in Las Vegas recently for a work-related convention, and got stuck at the airport for three hours because a sick passenger heading from NY to Vegas had to get off the plane in Texas. Why the flight detoured to Texas remains a mystery, but the delay gave me some time to get needed work done and also produced a $12 voucher for dinner, so I wasn't too upset.

After finishing my dinner and my work, I was tempted, once again, to sit down at the progressive slots. I am a confirmed Wheel-of-Fortune-aholic, and for the first time during my trip, I was actually being allowed to sit and play for a while, which felt good for a change.

Then, about 10 minutes after I sat down, a young guy sat down four seats away from me. Within 5 minutes, I hear someone shouting, "Congratulations - you won the jackpot!" That's right - he won the jackpot - $532,000.

I always expected to hear a deafening cacophony of ringing buzzers and bells if someone wins a slot jackpot, but it was eerily quiet and the poor guy didn't even realize he had won. He just thought he got to spin the wheel. Definitely a Wheel-of-Fortune neophyte.

I'll be honest - I felt robbed. That was my jackpot he won. Why this guy was only 28 years old - he couldn't possibly be mature enough to invest and spend that money wisely. He'd probably end up buying a million-dollar home he couldn't afford.

It definitely clouded my mood on the flight home and I've related the story to just about everyone I know (and they all incidentally agree that he won my jackpot).

But in reality, I'm not sure how level-headed I'd be if I won that kind of money in one fell swoop. You read all these stories about people who win the lottery and then end up broke or lose their families or worse. Easy money can be dangerous.

Still, I find it hard to shake the notion that if only I had $20,000 or $500,000 or a million dollars, my life would be perfect. It's foolish, I know, and the trick in life is wanting what you already have - but the lure of easy riches still beckons.

I won a pair of steak knives at a temple bazaar when I was about 10, and felt as if I'd won a trip around the world. I proudly presented them to my parents, and ever since then, I just can't shake that thrillof winning.

So on the rare trips I make to Vegas, I have a feeling that those slots will continue to beckon.

Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Thrills help us reverberate with life with every fiber of our being. I may never win a Vegas jackpot, but then again, I might.

As long as I keep in mind that my family and my health are greater riches than the numbe r of digits in my bank account, I think I'll be OK.

So keep those Wheel-of-Fortune machines humming - one day, one day, they could be humming fjust for me.