A story to warm the cockles of your hearts in cool weather

Ok that was WAY too cheesy, but I thought I'd share a cutesy story. Others are writing about feminism, womens' rights, politics, and important issues of the day. I'm telling you about a little old lady who won the lottery.

Eighty-five years old, widowed, and having lost her daughter to cancer, Mary Wollens had a dream she won the lottery. Having already bought a ticket, she went out to buy a second ticket with the same numbers. [article]

It netted her sixteen million dollars, two thirds of the 24 million dollar jackpot. Not a bad haul, if I do say so myself. I guess she won't be worried about security in her old age like so many women. (You didn't think I would be completely vapid did you? The feminization of poverty is still an issue!)

But, beyond the happy ending, it makes me think. [I can't fully commit to a vapid post. I would not survive well at any of the Detroit TV stations I used to watch who were either telling you to lock your doors! Bad men are on the loose who have already eaten innocent families! and their exclusive news chopper is predicting that your family is next! or that patriotic firemen were snuggling cute fluffy kittens to send cookies and teddies to the brave troops in Eye-rack. I found it extremely dizzying, and often quite nauseating. Incidentally, if anyone finds out where Eye-rack is please let me know. I've searched my atlas to no avail.]

Am I alone in thinking it's a bit odd she dreamed it would happen, acted on it, and then it happened just as her dream said she would?

How often does that happen? Is this some freaky-deaky coincidence? Was the dream foretelling or is it just a coincidence she happened to get lucky. Might she have had a wee bit too much sherry and telling us stories?

I'd want to ask her about it - does she often have dreams that are fortuitous? Does she consider herself psychic? Does she view it as a coincidence? Stories like this make me wonder if there's something to the airy-fairy views that dreams are your way of seeing into the future.

I certainly don't have the answers (but would label myself a curious skeptic). More importantly, do you think she'd train me? I know I'm on a "not going to school anymore" moratorium but I think a lottery-winning class might be a good investment. I'd promise to use the money for good and not evil. I hope she has a blast spending it.


(and yeah, no idea what a cockle is, but here's someone else's take on the expression)