Lottery by Betsy

If it is the Colorado Lottery we are referring to here, then it is highly unlikely that I will ever win, since I do not play. I gave up playing that lottery after giving away about one hundred dollars in five dollar increments with zero return and asked myself the profound question: “Why am I doing this?” There are better investments for even one hundred dollars which do not require that I give away ALL my capital.

Don’t get me wrong. I do benefit everyday from the Colorado Lottery. We all do. I especially enjoy the bicycle paths and parks and other amenities immensely.

Of the $2.3 billion utilized by the state since the start of the lottery in 1983, 50% has gone to the Great Outdoors Trust Fund, 40% to the Conservation Trust Fund, and 10% to the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife.

Here are a few winners which we all benefit from due to the Colorado Lottery.

Close to 1000 miles of hiking and biking trails built and maintained all over the state.

Open space and land acquisition. Development and maintenance for city, county, and state parks and recreation facilities.

Funding for school health and safety issues.


If we are talking about other lotteries in life--or the lottery of life, truth be told, I have won many times indeed. I had the winning ticket when I was born to the parents that I had. I won when I married Bill instead of Jim or Al. I had a winning ticket when I got my daughter back. I won when I chose to come out. I could go on and on describing the lucky things that have happened to me over my lifetime. Yes, some involved making a good choice. Like, the winningest lottery ticket of my entire life: when I cashed in and got Gill. But face it. Much of life is a crap-shoot. This was very clear to me recently when I chose to have my spine go under the knife.
“There is a 20% chance you will be worse off after surgery. There is a 1% chance of severe damage to nerves, paralysis, or even death,” I was told. True, the odds were on my side but the chance for disaster is always there.

If I win the lottery? If it’s the Colorado Lottery--I won’t. The Life Lottery--I have won, and I do win--most of the time--and I hope to continue my run of good luck.

About the Author

Betsy has been active in the GLBT community including PFLAG, the Denver women’s chorus, OLOC (Old Lesbians Organizing for Change). She has been retired from the Human Services field for about 15 years. Since her retirement, her major activities include tennis, camping, traveling, teaching skiing as a volunteer instructor with National Sports Center for the Disabled, and learning. Betsy came out as a lesbian after 25 years of marriage. She has a close relationship with her three children and enjoys spending time with her four grandchildren. Betsy says her greatest and most meaningful enjoyment comes from sharing her life with her partner of 25 years, Gillian Edwards.