One day to the next, one would-be winner wins a new vehicle in MA!

If you could enter to win a $40K vehicle, would you? If you had to pay the $5k in taxes, could you do so or find friends and family to loan it to you? What would you do with the vehicle of your dreams--share it, keep it for your own use (maybe including your family, etc), Give it Away to Family or Friend?

About 180 people (which maybe in the future could reflect more racial diversity by groups of various ethnic groups promoting the event in more local outreaches and additional notifications to qualify) had a chance to find out what they would do once they entered to win a Toyota Highlander at Ski Bousquet in Pittsfield MA on Sunday, August 23rd, 2015 as part of a promotion for WSBS and WNAW and other sponsors. The Sounds of Summer event sounded almost too good to be true, but it was for real.

A quick bit of history I learned along the way during the few hours of  'fun in the sun' finding out who picked the 5 winning keys (yes, for which I was also in the running due to hearing an invite to try to place by being in a drawing in person at The Well in Great Barringto MA on 8-10 at 7pm and managing to do that within 7 minutes and actually be reminded by people in the street that I Had to be there on 8-10 for the drawing for a Chance to win a spot on 8-23, so I went back down the steps of the new Main Street scener and upon opening the door, heard my named called. I needed my license and birth certificate (or passport, which is next on my list to get) at the 8-23-15 event by 11am along with the other winners ffrom the summer.)

So the history of these kinds of giveaways by these generous folks included that gifting of Two Houses--one woman was there who'd won a house! I met the other "previous house winner' woman who cam to congratulate the winner of the Highlander..but hers had been taken back since she wasn't a US Citizen at the time..and the rules were likely not clearly posted when she entered. That's a lesson to all of us, before we get out hopes up, to make sure we Meet the Requirements of a Contest to Enter, to Stay Qualified and Attend, and to Win Legally and so on (doesn't hurt to think of who'd pay for taxes either if there's prize money or taxes due, etc). Always double check if you have to be part of a Time Share promotion, which I've heard can run hours and be grueling to get out of (and maybe be penalized by a fee or thereabouts, just guessing here and likely everyone has folks more in the loop than I at this point.)

So, back to the excitement of the day. Nice families, people of all ages and abilities to walk, drive, etc showed up as among the chance holders. People would draw a key if their name were picked and then they'd try to open a chest. If they got it open, they'd get to pick a key (#1-5), in the order they won to see if it activated the alarm on car meaning they Won! For the first four keys, it took about 160 folks..then when only about 20 names left, someone got the last key chance, so those of us, yes including yours truly, who had not been picked did not have any chance left to get a key.

The one woman and four guys lined up , then the numbers they picked were 3, 2 and then the next fellow won with a winning numbered key..IF you want to guess, do that now..go with your gut or however you'd choose. What number did you pick?

A code to help you know if you would have won is the first letter of each of these words--friends over understanding relationships...yes that's the number that the winning fellow picked. In the future, it would be interesting to know if someone could tell one of the 5, or all of them, what they thought it would be..or maybe for fun have a contest to see how many people guessed the winning number.

I won't go overboard with telling you his name but if you called him Mack you wouldn't be far off, but you can google that...He and his wife were happy and in agreement about giving it to someone they care about, who'd give them a reasonable car. A very generous gesture that worked for them..They weren't planning on making the difference if values up with money either, just taking things in stride.

They'd  had other blessings in their life, with someone they cared about getting a liver transplant recently (another kind of contest but again a grateful recipient) and had success with others in their circle doing well. Why not extend that kind of 'giving generosity' when you can, whether sharing 'time, talent or treasure, wisdom, prayers, or ideas and dreams..." Maybe Everyone could have More of what they want and need if they asked clearly and consistently for what they wanted or needed..

Some say to 'expect it, receive it as yours even before you get it so the universe knows that's what you are ordering'. If you think on things 'that are not good' but keep focusing on that, then some of that can turn up as though the universer thought's that what you Wanted..We put the spin on it maybe, with coloring reality with our interpretation of disappointment or desire... it's what we Think is what we Get (good, bad or otherwise is like the wrappping paper.)

This kind of 'reality making or 'attraction dynamic is puzzling to me at times when I bump into a problem (or a perceived problem... How can we Solve Issues we don't comprehend or pay attention to? The Hopi may have felt it was find to 'run away from a problem..and that could include a person, place or thing, idea or dream..) But with effort from many to comprehend where we are on a map of options, maybe 'sharing the burden, and comprehending the history of how we got to where we are, then maybe we could take measures to safeguard the path and process that led to a problem or even a person whose difficult. Healing or helping a person who is out of balance in terms of the ways they talk, act, negotiate (as in they Don't Negotiate..they say 'my way or the highway"..that kind of stance or mindset whether a  person, a couple , a group, gang, policy or wider span.

That is part of the Black Lives Matter or police brutality/ protocol for responders to a 911 call that is concerning people. What are the the PLANS, who are the People and What kinds of Places are involved (homes, towns, schools, etc) Which rules are followed where? Who Should We Call When we need HELP--whether for health concerns, injury, danger or something not so clear or episodic (yes, abuse in a home, relationships, legal matters such as divorce, custody, tenant-landlord disputes, etc). So many possibilities, but not everyone is familiar with 'best practices' of various options. The kinds of dynamics in a mediation would be summarily deemed illegal in many litigated cases such as divorce.

With domestic violence, everyone would think there'd be protection to victims and their children (who by definition are also victims). But often victims who come though are punished, literally entrapped further by the confusing responses whether to 911 calls, going to domestic violence services that 'cannot warn them' about legal problems and much more. Often they use 'old school' ideas about  NOT warning victims of various problems they can bump into so leave them like deer looking into the headlights...hoping for some sane people to intervene.

The sad truth is while victims may want to stay and work things out in the long run, that is a luxury one cannot often afford. They systems need clear signals from the victim that she will accept safety for herself and her children. The best they can offer her is protected safety from her abuser..and that's only in a pipedream in most cases. The kind of greater education in the community that needs to happen around the country so all people understand the context of abuse could take a decade of concerted effort and need to be taught in schools.

None of that likely will happen soon. In the meantime, there's the National Parents Organization working hard to have all dads, essentially not screening for degrees of abuse or accepting there's no way to tell if it will improve or not with intervention such as at a Batterer's Intervention Program..which generally, does not deliver and cannot guarantee progress even if abusers give lip service to gaining a degree of insight into power and contol tactics and beleifs of men being better and deserving of mistreating women and kids (and maybe even other men..)

Well, that's a big tangent from winning cars or even giving one's winnings away.. But in that spirit of generosity, why not look at ways we Could Help All Women Feel Safe, and yes, Kids and Men too... it will take a few years, even decades and we are making some inroads. Yet we also have societal violence in terns of police tactics which get employed according to their own trainings and whatever the responding officers deem appropriate.

Why not plan Not to have to call for help by having more awareness of potentially dangerous people one lives with or near, works with or interacts with. Often people will act out their challenges on others and be unwilling to discuss any concerns in writing (which is one way to allow each person to have their say..and maybe if each has a notebook various points can be reviewed, goals set and input gotten from others who may be willing to review letters such as one does in "Dear Abby". Thanks for thinking on this.. and other posts as you can...take care...