The Never-Ending Daydream of the Multimillion-Dollar Lottery

By Elysabeth Williams

Once or twice a month, when the lottery gets really out of hand, my husband and I buy a ticket or two and day dream the rest of the way home. Over the years, we've pretended to book vacations all over the world. Knowing full well we’d never win that kind of lottery, it’s still a fun and cheap mental vacation from the mundane. I’m a firm believer that daydreaming is good for the soul. Just escaping for a few minutes into another life makes coming back to your own a little more relaxing.

In our make believe travel bookings, we’d whisk away to the UK, where we’d spend time in the majestic green mountains of Scotland. I’m pretty certain I’d try to stay there as long as possible, if not just hide away forever. I visited for a very short time and sometimes feel I’ve forgotten part of myself there. The time I spent wandering around aimlessly was one of my most life changing experiences. I kept those memories and shared them in my first release, Devil in a Red Kilt – the sights, the smells; the people were all so unforgettable. It was easy for me to fall back into a time and a place that seemed to only exist in Scotland.

I'll be the one in the oversized sweater, caressing some coffee.

If my husband were able to drag me out of the highlands, we’d then run away to Germany. He spent a lot of time there when stationed in Kaiserslautern, while in the Army. Of course, I’d love to start my trip there somewhere in October to hit Octoberfest… and possibly forget eeeeverything about it. Then sober up long enough to enjoy the magical winter wonderlands and tour the Christmas Markets. Though I’ve never been, I have this warmly lit, hot cocoa smelling vision in my head of how it’s supposed to be. 

After spending half our winnings at the chilly Christmas Markets, I’m sure I’ll be ready for some beach time. Take me back to California or Florida where we can run the kids ragged at Disney! I want to ride everything twice. I want to afford the $42 Coke. I want to buy the Mouse ears in four different colors. Give me Universal Studios and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Once we’re done gorging and screaming, let me pass out near a pool under a big umbrella, with some cabana boy on standby with a large, froofy, umbrella’d drink waiting for me to wake up and partake in its goodness.

You can actually find me hanging out at Hagrid's place, sipping on butter beer.

So that’s how it goes – all the way home, my husband and I will discuss our dream vacations and who we’d invite, not invite – not tell ever… until the eleven o’clock news rolls around and our plans fizzle into the mist with mismatching numbers, only to revive again the next month.

Hope everyone has a little bit of dream in them to at least take a dream escape vacation, if only in their minds! Have a great summer!