My buddy John is having surgery today, so I drove out to Morton Plant hospital to see him.

Stopped in the little hospital chapel to pray, took the pic above to remember the moment.

Kind of a rainy crappy Saturday to end 2022… on the radio they were talking about the megamillions lotto getting up to $750 million, so I bought three tickets:

I started thinking about all the stuff I would do if I won a gazillion dollars, charities I could donate to, people I could help, where I would live, etc…

And this gave rise to an interesting thought experiment: a massive amount of money gives us more choices, but in thinking about becoming a multimillionaire I realized that I have similar choices even if I just remain a modest middle class guy…

For instance :::

I decided to cancel my engagement to a lovely woman, because I realized I wanted a partner with different belief systems.

I’m willing to be single for awhile until I find the right woman.

I’ve been thinking about getting into some form of ministry, maybe even going to seminary.

I like doing consulting work / sales coaching… I like the challenge, the engagement, how it adds value to the lives of others.

I want to get really healthy in 2023, slim down, put on muscle, wear the skinny clothes in my closet.

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I don’t need to be a millionaire to do these things, they are all within reach at my current income.

In 2022 I spent more time volunteering than in any other year of my life… and I had the highest year of income in my life.

Go figure.

Olga and Vlada have been living with me since June, and I’m glad I could help them out during this season of our lives.

Just a year ago I knew nothing about Ukraine, I had rarely fired a gun, my life was different.

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My friend Marcus became a father in 2022:

That’s Apollo, he’s gonna become President of The United States someday.

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I’m glad I can be here for Olga and Vlada, they’ve had a rough time since they fled Kyiv (with Russian missiles falling on the city).

I’ve always thought that the best things in life are the odd surprises, those plot twists of life that no one could foresee.

In 2023 I’m going to keep putting good karma OUT THERE, and I hope there are more unexpected surprises!

And if I win the $700 gazillion dollar lottery?

I’m gonna disappear off the face of the earth and only 3 people will have my number!

Happy New Year!

Ben Alexander

12 : 31 : 2022