Journal-Lane Question for 1/26/2010: Gambling

Ponder this question for today. Write it down in a journal to pass on to family members once you're gone.

You can post it here, or in your own journal book.

Have a great day.

1/26/2010: Do you gamble? Have you ever gambled? Why? How do you handle it? Do you see it as good … or bad?

Yes. I have gambled. I’ve gambled because it was my choice of entertainment for a specific evening. I could have gone to dinner or to the movies. I could have gone bowling or skating. I could have gone shopping.

I’ve done it for just an entertaining event, and it has been fun.

When I’ve gone gambling, I take a set amount of money, as I would for any activity. For me, that is $20 for this activity. I might spend more on dinner, a movie, etc. But for gambling, it is always $20.

For me, $20 is a good price for entertainment, if I enjoy it. I don’t do it often. Maybe one or two times in a year, and frankly, I have not done it for several years.

I handle it this way. I have $20 to spend. I usually buy $1 coins, so I get to play the $1 slots 20 times. If 20 pulls brings me nothing, I buy a beer and walk around till it’s time to go home.

But one time, I did hit it big on my 3rd pull. I won about $---.-- after spending $3. I was elated. I cashed it in right away, and bought myself a beer to celebrate.

I leaned up against another machine to drink my beer and wait out the others. That’s when I realized I still had 17 coins in my pocket, and had not cashed them in. I had planned on spending the $20, so why not continue to play?

So, I did. And believe it or not, I won again. Another $---.-- or so. I took that and the 16 coins left, and cashed them all in. And I bought myself another beer!

I left that day with extra money in my pocket! It was wonderful. But that was ONE time out of about 10 times in all my life. I haven’t been gambling where I gambled more than that.

I could’ve spent that remaining 16 coins since I had already designated it for that entertainment, and I would’ve still come out ahead. Why didn’t I?

Because … I had already reached my entertainment level! I was totally happy with my little fortune. I did not need to go further. I was, frankly, done!

For me, this makes gambling a fun activity. It hurts no one, and I come out ahead since I don’t do it often.

I may never do it again, and that would be fine with me, too!

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