Journeys With Jani… Let’s Talk About It…

Let’s just pretend for a minute that last year you hit the Powerball jackpot. The big one. The $1.817 billion one.

And because we’re feeling bold & a little spicy, you take the full payout. No payments. No waiting. No spread it out & be responsible BS. You want your money now, like an Amazon package with Prime shipping.

Then reality shows up in khakis & a bow tie. Because after taxes & what not, you’re left with… about $493 to $526 million.

Yes. They take that much. It’s basically a fundraiser at that point. 🙄

Now… let me tell you what would happen next if I were the one holding the winning ticket.

Not in a -new money, loud money- kind of way. More in a -I’m about to handle my life like a CEO and you will not stress me out- kind of way.

First of all… I’d disappear. Quietly. Not forever. Just long enough to breathe without everybody & their cousin suddenly remembering my name. Because the first thing I’m buying isn’t a yacht. It’s silence.

I’m renting a beautiful, peaceful, nobody-can-find-me little place for a minute. Somewhere with comfy sheets, good coffee & a view that makes me feel like I’ve been personally hugged by the universe.

And I’m bringing a notebook. Because if I’m about to have half a billion dollars, I’m not winging it with vibes and prayers.

Second… I’m assembling my Money Avengers.

Before I tell anybody anything, I’m hiring:

✏️ a financial advisor who doesn’t talk to me like I’m five

✏️ a tax attorney who like’s ruining wealthy people’s day

✏️ a security person who gives “don’t even try it” energy

✏️ and honestly… probably an assistant, because my brain already works overtime & we are not doing that while rich

And they will all know one thing about me immediately:

🤨 I’m Southern.

🤨 I’m kind ( I swear to Tiny Jesus I am!).

🤨 And I am not the one (refer to Tiny Jesus).

Third… my people are getting set up.

Let me be clear. I’m not about to start buying ten mansions & a diamond-covered golf cart. But I am going to make sure my family is secure in a way that lets everyone breathe.

The kind of secure where:

❤️ nobody is one emergency away from panic

❤️ kids & grandkids are protected …the people I love can live without that constant low-grade stress humming in the background

And I’d do it quietly too. No announcements. No Facebook posts. No -look what I did!- Just… handled.

Fourth… the pets are getting upgraded like royalty.

Because yes, I love my people. But my animals?

Those are my babies with fur & attitude.

They would have:

🐶 the best vet care on earth (actually they already do).

🐶 the best food

🐈‍⬛ a yard that looks like a resort & if I’m being honest, probably a little pet helper situation because I’m not trying to be stressed & rich at the same time

Fifth… then I’m going full travel goblin.

This is where my soul lights up. Because if you give me half a billion dollars, I’m not sitting at home thinking about someday.

Someday is today.

There will be:

✈️ bucket list trips with the whole crew -DELTA ONE!

✈️ romantic trips where nobody bothers us

✈️ I need sunshine or I’m going to bite someone trips

✈️ at least one trip that exists purely for the story, the photos & the ridiculousness of it all

And the funniest part? I’d still be planning travel for other people too. Because I’m built like that. I just wouldn’t be doing it with stress. I’d be doing it from a terrace in Tuscany or a cafe in Paris.

Sixth… generosity becomes a lifestyle.

Not performative. Not attention-seeking. Not look at me being a good person.

More like:

💌 paying off somebody’s medical bill & never telling a soul

💌 blessing a single mom who needs a car

💌 funding a scholarship helping the right people in the right ways

💌 donating to anything in Bartow County that needs it!

Because I’m soft at the core. I just keep it behind a steel door with a keypad.

And finally… I’d still be me. I’d still be sassy. Still be funny. Still side-eye the world. I’d just be doing it from a better seat.

And honestly? That might be the best part.

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Now, tell me …If you won that kind of money, what’s the very first thing you’d do after you stopped ugly-crying into a paper towel?

XOXO, Jani