Your million dollar fantasy, swinging for the fences with see-thru pants, and crying with Hillary Swank
3 Things from the week and a poem with a nod to baseball
The cardinals in the woods that edge our property sing cantatas to each other. It's the last week of February and it's hard not to envision Spring.
I hope you're having a great weekend. Thanks for spending some of it with Things I Wrote Down.
1. Your million dollar fantasy
The Globe and Mail asked Canadians what they'd do if they unexpectedly received $100, $1,000, $10,000 or $1 million. And then they had financial experts weigh in on their choices and make recommendations.
It was a fun read. And, for the record... If I had $1 million:
Tithe
Mortgage
Car upgrades
Kids' education funds
TFSA
Fun money: trips, gadgets, clothes and a nice chunk for OTT random acts of kindness
How about you?
And, here's the obligatory link to the Barenaked Ladies hit song (recorded at a WE Day for some extra Canadiana controversy):
2. Swinging for the fences in see-through pants
The Emperor has no clothes and we can all see through the Blue Jays' pants. If you need a good laugh, check out the reactions of players, fans and MLB execs after Nike's new pants for the league show a little more than everyone expected.
![MLB's new see-through pants go viral for the wrong reasons MLB's new see-through pants go viral for the wrong reasons](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce4dc297-9494-415f-82ad-e64f4ed15d31_760x1024.jpeg)
The new uniforms improve mobility by 25%, dry 28% faster, said a rep, oh, and did we mention, you can see everyone's gonch?
3. RIP medical debt and some Swanky tears
Yes, I watched Hillary Swank's interview about her new film Ordinary Angels on the Kelly Clarkson Show. The algorithm knows I'm tracking the success of this new film by the Kingdom Story Company and so it served me up this video. Which hooked me.
Swank is charming and real, but the story of the guest whose too-young wife died too soon and how they navigated that time—then helped to destroy medical debt—is truly inspiring.
A poem with a baseball analogy
If you poke fun at baseball players and their uniforms, then you gotta drop some verse with a baseball allusion, right?
A few weeks ago I shared a portion of a poem about spiritual superstars. The following poem belongs to the same series.
II
Thanks
And to these
Almost mythic men
The strong and rugged titans
With set jaw and gentle grin
Who with purpose sure
And calculated diligence
Shoulder bat
And step to plate
With focus not
On flashing bulbs
Or hall of fame
But beyond high walls
Of roaring stade
Who, with empty bench
And tattered dress
Stand up tall
Swing with strength
Whose legend echoes in empty place
To these
We love
And stories tell
Greatest thanks for filling your space