I just hit the jackpot (kinda). I received notification last week that I had been successful in securing tickets to two events in the ticket lottery for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, in my home country of Canada. Not only that, but I managed to secure tickets for the marquee event in hockey-mad Canada - the Gold Medal Men's Hockey Match. Interestingly, as soon as the winners were notified that they had secured these tickets, ads and auctions began appearing on eBay and Craigslist, with people trying to sell their tickets at a substantial profit. Friends of mine have urged me to do the same, and are somewhat bemused when I tell them that I would rather gather a bunch of friends and see the actual event, than to sell it for a quick buck.
One of the cornerstones of how I live my life, is to experience life to its fullest and in person. While I could sell the tickets and buy a brand-new, big flat-screen TV to watch the Olympics, I choose to use my hard-earned dollars to experience it live, and take in the actual sights and sounds of the big event. Having been to the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney Australia, I cannot do justice in describing the feeling of goodwill and comeraderie when people from every country in the world gather together to celebrate what we have in common, rather than what drives up apart. It's something that I have seldom experienced but long to do so again.
I live modestly, and spend my money on things that I am passionate about - travel, personal relationships, once-in-a-lifetime events, priceless moments and adventures. As has been often remarked, "Life is not a dress rehearsal". I have known too many people whose lives were cut short far too early, and if everyone of us knew how much time we had on earth, I think that we would be spending more of our money and expending all of our energies on memories rather than material goods.
Besides, I can always earn the few thousand dollars again that I would gain by selling these tickets, but I may never get the chance again to witness the Gold Medal Match (with hopefully Team Canada winning) in my home country again in my lifetime. So, why give up that priceless opportunity for a quick buck?
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