And the winner is . . .

ME! I actually won something last week!

The plastic tote withTofutsies yarn and pattern were the prize. The two books and magazine were more spoils from a little side shopping trip to Half-Price Books and Joann's. I was in the area, so why not . . .

Remember Gnorm the Gnome? Well, during his visit, I checked out a couple new yarn stores, including Zandy's. While there, I reluctantly filled out an entry form for a drawing for a sock knitting kit.

Why the reluctance? Well, I just don't win things. When I was much younger, I would enter all kinds of drawings and contests but after years and years of winlessness, I've become very jaded about contests and drawings.

I am not a cynical person by nature. I am very much an optimist most of the time. But this little area of my life is fraught with bitterness and angst. Those "give us your opinion and you could win a gajillion dollars" tags at the bottom of my Target Store receipts are often in serious jeopardy of being burned with dark and secret rituals every time the clerk hands it to me with a smile and a friendly reminder to stop by their website and enter. I stand there, wondering if the brand "LOSER" is glowing from my forehead, that they feel the need to prod me to enter. Or is it some secret attempt to gain access to my computer and steal my financial identity, as if the ultra-regular twice-weekly assaults of their store on my grocery and household budget wasn't enough.

Unfortunately, given my very sour attitude toward contests, when Zandy so kindly and pleasantly asked me if I wanted to enter, a very brief mental struggle took place. The Nasty Fella on one shoulder prompted me to pick up Gnorm and beat her senseless for even suggesting such a thing. But the Minnesota Nice Guy on the other shoulder prevailed ("After all, it's not Zandy's fault you're a loser.") and I merely smiled through gritted teeth and filled out the entry blank.

I'm hanging my head in shame because Friday morning Zandy called to tell me I was a winner. I guess I'm not such a loser after all. But I'm not going to let this one win sucker me into hitting the casinos around here. No sirree, Bob!

I am an ardent non-gambler. Casinos are taboo in my life. On the surface, the reason is that God called us to be faithful stewards of the resources that He's given us and gambling those resources away just doesn't fit that role.

But deep down inside, the heart of the reason is I just don't win stuff and I know I might as well write the casino a check for half my life savings, rather than sit for hours, feeding a machine coins in the fruitless hope that I might somehow win back all the money I've already fed the beast.

Might as well put the time and money to better use and spend it knitting. It's just a tiny bit less expensive (or maybe not) and at least you walk away with something besides a numb tookus.