Unofficial Challenge: What would you do if you were rich?

I love the kind of work I get to do in my career, but as I job search and browse apartments again due to another understaffed and unsustainable work environment that I did not intend to get into, my daydreams of better days consistently lean into the same question: What would I do if I didn't have to worry about my basic needs being met?

If I could have healthcare, a home, my student loans, and the necessities of life all taken care of regardless of my job, where would I be? I think of New York, of my partner here in Ohio, of our cats, of the career changes I might make, of what I might write if only I had the time, and it feels like wishing I could win the lottery.

I want to write a book. I have a few ideas that I am doing nothing with, and they deserve more of my energy than I can give to ever turn them into full stories.

I want to read the books that gather dust on my shelves or sit forgotten in boxes I never unpacked when I moved here in July. Just reading the incredible work I see on Vocal is more than I can keep up with these days.

I want another degree, maybe more than one more.

In an ideal world, I would live in downtown Cleveland or anywhere in New York City. I want to be back and forth between the places I consider home more than I can realistically be.

I want to look at houses with my partner without feeling bad that he is going to contribute everything financially to down payments and closing costs at this rate when we do finally take that step.

It's a fantasy, but I am not dreaming about millions or billions of dollars.

If I were thinking that big, I would be donating to libraries, starting scholarship funds, buying my mom a house, and advocating for political causes and infrastructure updates. There isn't much more for me to want.

On that note, there is something I have been wanting to do that costs very little — offer up an unofficial Vocal challenge.

The Challenge

What would you do if you were rich?

Pick what that means to you. If you see $150,000 per year as life-changing money (like it would be for me), tell me how you would change your life. If you need to win a $400 million lottery jackpot to answer this question, give me the synopsis of that hypothetical reality. Possibilities are essentially endless. I want to know what everyone is fantasizing about.

Write this in whatever format and Vocal community you want, as long as you are not writing fiction. If a longing poem suits your needs, go for it. If half your reasoning is a memoir-style background to explain that all you want is a nice garden, it qualifies.

There is no minimum word count, but please keep it under 1,500 words. Use of generative AI, including for photos, will not be considered.

Winners of my unofficial challenge need to have their Vocal accounts set up to receive tips in order to receive their prizes. Those prizes will be:

• $3 for the most creative answer to the question
• $1 for the most well-written (or entertaining to read) story
• $1 for a writer whose goals I want to support based on your story

Entries must share the link to this unofficial challenge at the end of their story to help spread the word, and all entries must be commented as links on this story so I can find them.

The deadline to enter is March 3. All winners will be shared and tipped by the end of March, so I have time to read everything.

I hope you'll join me in fantasizing for a bit with this prompt. Happy writing!