Mega Millions?

Last week, the lottery reached an insane level: $370 million. I don't play the lottery, though I have bought a random ticket here and there over the years, and I thought about it last week, just for kicks. It didn't happen, but it raised one of those fun hypothetical questioned that we've all asked ourselves, since we were little kids: what would you do if you won the lottery?

It's fun to think about, but I've never really thought of it as anything more than banal playing around with friends. I got to thinking about this question last week when I heard how high the lottery was, and I realized asking the question actually gave me some insight into what I'm truly passionate about, and what my dreams are.

Beyond the obvious ones of paying off my own and my family members' mortgages, or buying them a new car, paying for everyone's college education, etc., the first thought that came to mind was that I would take a one year sabbatical from my job at the symphony and enroll for the one year program at the Culinary Institute of America to become a pastry chef. Actually, I would say that this was the first thought that immediately came to mind, and the mortgage payment, cars and the rest followed on its heels.

That was very revealing to me. I think that would be the most enjoyable year of my life, and I would drop everything in a heartbeat to do it, if I had the financial means to do it. When I'd return, I'd probably continue in the symphony, because that's too enjoyable to give up, and I would work on making plans to open my own shop. I often have visions of starting my own bakery, baking bread and other tasty stuff. I even have a name in mind for this hypothetical bakeshop. I find it very satisfying to cook or make enjoyable food for those around me, and I think I'd find this to be a very rewarding career.

All of this lottery-induced thinking made me more aware of how much I think about doing this. Dreams keep us going, and are fun, but it's quite rare for us to follow through on them. It's very impractical for me to take a year off and enroll in the Culinary Institute of America. I've calculated that I'd need to have $30,000 in the bank to make that work, all for an untested dream. I'm not able to do that. But there is another option.

There's a terrific culinary school here in town, with an excellent pastry chef who was known to the teachers I had out at the CIA last summer. It's a part of the community college here, so tuition for the year is around $5,000. That's doable, but in order to do it, I'd have to modify my work schedule, and try to go half time at work, which I think they might be willing to do. I'd have to save up for a year or two, and tighten the belt, but just so long as I could work part time at the symphony, and hopefully arrange some way to continue with my quintet, (which could be difficult), I could really make this work. It would be an insanely busy year, starting at the community college at 6:00 a.m. and going straight through until the end of rehearsal at 10:00 at night, but I think I would be energized by how fun it would be.

I'm going to go visit the school and find out more about the program in the next couple of weeks. I don't want this dream to die without fully investigating the possibilities. They always say, "do what you love," and I'm already doing one thing that I love. But right now, I don't find myself dreaming about getting that next gig with a bigger orchestra. Right now, my vision is making some amazing bread and the best darn tasting stuff on the planet in a bakery all my own.