One million dollars.
Notice: This post won’t reference Dr. Evil’s famous demand for one million dollars in the Austin Powers movie. I’ve never seen the damn thing. Seems kind of dumb. It’s one of those pop culture things a curmudgeon like me just didn’t get into.
Kind of like the Harlem Shake, The Walking Dead, and anything to do with Kobe Bryant.
The fine citizens listed below in this post, however, know just what to do with a million dollars. In six words. I asked strangers, friends, and strange blogger friends, “If you had $1,000,000 but you had to give it to other people, who would you give it to?”
Not a single damned one of them said, “to Coach Daddy’s Fund for Totino’s Pizza and Ginger Snaps,” of course. (Ingrates. Plus, that’s more than six words.)
Ernest Hemingway asserted that any story could be told in six words. In that spirit, every month, I ask the chosen flock to respond to a prompt in six words. I post the collection here every last Wednesday of the month.
Enjoy. Check out their blogs, which are, incidentally, worth way more than a million bucks. Also, let us know what you’d do with that cool million, should it be bestowed upon you to distribute.
1. Give to our great U.S. veterans.
Nina, of Nina Says
2. My kid’s school and food bank.
Erika, of That Anxious Mom
3. I would give it to hubby…
Sandra, of A Momma’s View
4. Establish 20 scholarships for single parents.
Roxanne P., of Unintentionally Brilliant
5. Alzheimer’s caregivers & research, kids, animals, & homelessness!
Rena M., of The Diary of an Alzheimer’s Care Giver
6. Moms needing childcare for sanity breaks!
Meredith S., of The Mom of the Year
7. Families who want to adopt children.
Kimberly N., of Kimberly Novosel
8. Carleton Varsity Swim Team and literacy.
Louise H., of Baby Gates Down
9. Parents, to thank them for everything.
Belle T., of One Awesome Momma
10. Think Local~Give Local~Share Love.
Mary Lou Q., of Me in the Middle
11. Random hard working, yet struggling families.
Tamara G., of Confessions of a Part-time Working Mom
12. I’d MAKE IT RAIN at church!
Aunie R., of Aunie Sauce
13. Start a non-profit for the needy.
Elizabeth W., of Autism Mom
Claudia W., of Images by CW
15. Local charities, university scholarships, my wife.
Eric W., of All in a Dad’s Work
16. Every police dog gets bulletproof bests!
Lisa, of The Blondie Barista
17. Help young travelers explore the world.
E. Chloe, of The Girl Who Clicked
18. Donate beds to dogs in shelters.
Charlotte K., of My Pixie Blog
19. God, parents, nieces, nephew, needy children.
Shannon B., of Whole Foods
20. Free day for Dillon’s grocery shoppers!!
Kim T., of Day with KT
21. Redeem lives – displaced, exploited, vulnerable people.
Jenn S., of Jenn’s Midlife Crisis
22. My parents. I’m in the will.
Sheri M., of When the Kids Go to Bed
23. a refugee family to live again.
beth k., of i didn’t have my glasses on …
24. My kids, to secure their future.
Miriam B., of Out An About
25. Fight against stigma of mental illness.
Raine V., of Pursuit of Peace
26. Twenty bloggers from 20 different countries.
Pat C., of New Bloggy Cat
27. My choice: Everytown for Gun Safety.
Ann K., of The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgementally
28. Education Is a RIGHT: For ALL.
Leslie B., of Ink Interrupted
29. H&R Block to leak Trump’s returns.
Stephanie J., of Where Crazy Meets Exhaustion
30. To the care of ocean life.
Debbie T., of Heartbeats~Soul Stains
31. My Dog; Canines for Equal Education.
Tianna S., of Storybook Apothecary
32. St. Jude’s to find a cure.
Janine H., of Confessions of a Mommyaholic
33. To the contractor renovating my house!
Lisa W., of The Golden Spoons
34. Food for people, shelter for animals.
Cristina, of Exhale and Enjoy Life
35. Adopting Families. Kids need good parents!
April S., of Story of Our Boys
36. I would give it to my mom.
Frugie, of Frugalista Blog
37. Self-supporting college-bound kids – $5k to 200.
Dana H., of Kiss My List
38. Money is energy that should work.
Alex M., of A Life Answer
39. I’d help fund Planned Parenthood — indefinitely.
Norine M., of Science of Parenthood
40. I’d build homes for the homeless.
Cathy T., of Just My Thoughts … and a Cup of Tea
41. Big bucks. Big responsibility. Prayerfully consider.
C. Muse, of Cricketmuse
Elizabeth M., of Lapidary Prose
43. Education, epis, food for allergy families.
Daniella K., of Smart Allergy Friendly Education
44. Children’s charity, children’s hospital, women’s shelter.
Shannon A., of Radio Chick’s Reflections
45. Stop hunger. Donate to food bank.
Jennifer, of The Deliberate Mom
46. Teachers: they deserve fancy cars too!
Julia T., of Diary of a Word Nerd
47. Establish a snow day snack fund.
Eli, of Coach Daddy
48. www.Cleanslatela.org many programs that change lives
Megan B., of Super Commuter Couples
Just a dad ... 
It’s heart warming to see the list of caring and giving bloggers. Thanks for having me again, Eli! (♡ $ ◡ $ )ʃ♡
They’re generous cusses, aren’t they? You included, Pat.
（*’∀’人）♥
So many nice ones. You’ve got a good crowd here, E!
Tell us more about that snow day snack fund?
People here want to do good, Tamara. I do love the company. The great thing about the snow day snack fund is that it doesn’t even have to be snowing to partake in it. I just want plenty of capital to buy animal crackers and Coke Zero and frozen pizza to sustain my children and help them to consume them.
Now that Michelle is gone, I feel like I have to step in and add a fruit cup to your menu 😉
My girls are rejoicing and hoping Melania will banish the whole grains and bring back COOKIES.
All great causes to give to and happy to say though that almost the end of January and haven’t had to use any snow day snack funding just yet as we haven’t had much of the white stuff yet. So that is something at the very least 😉
It’s always good to have a fund for snacks for a rainy day, too, or even a cloudy one, or one with nothing but sun, to be honest, Janine.
This made my day, Eli!! What a surge of kindness! I even like the sprinkle of politics and humor here and there. Awesome idea! ❤ I think you've found your mission in life. 😀 The world needs you.
https://meinthemiddlewrites.com/
Glad you liked it, Mary Lou! When it comes to required bestowing of tons of cash, this group knows what to do.
“My parents. I am in the will” was classic, don’t you think? I do love compiling these.
I need the world more than it needs me!
Yes, I like that one too! 😀
So many wonderful suggestions, just awesome! Thanks for letting me be a part of the 1-million-dollar-question.
p.s. I love your comment box!
Someone should give us $50 million just to put these suggestions to good use. Glad you were part of it, Claudia!
Thanks on the comment box – I didn’t know how cool it was until after I’d picked the theme.
If only we all DID have a million dollars and could give it away like this! What great responses!!
I really would love to watch yours happen, Aunie. I imagine it wafting from the rafters.
These are all such lovely ideas! Sheri M.’s my favorite, though–love it 😉 And Eli, yours is priceless!
Not a bad crop, eh Meredith? Sheri did rock it with the honesty – makes me want to try and get on her good side if at all possible.
You knew mine would involve snacks.
Lots of worthy causes indeed. For me: Get hypnotherapy training, heal the world. I know the training wouldn’t use up the million dollars, but the healing center I’d open would take $$. And it would have a sliding fee scale, so everyone who is truly motivated could take advantage. And getting word out to groups of people who suffer from PTSD (veterans, victims of domestic violence, victims of assault, rape, child abuse, etc), would likely mean opening centers across the entire country. I don’t think a million will be enough for my dreams. But we could definitely cover your snack fund.
They did good, these folks, Susan. I’d sign up for the hypnotherapy. You could do a lot with a cool million.
I like the idea of the sliding fee scale, too. The worst part of mental health care in this country is that it’s often not for everyone, because of financial constraints. Even me, as a guy with a job, would struggle to pay for it.
A million could get the ball rolling, and get others on board with your cause. I’ll manage the snacks fund for you for free.
One thing I’ve found is that places like Unity Chuches and Centers For Spiritual Living often have events where they offer Reiki and other forms of alternative healing (I laughed when I wrote alternative, because these modalities do things like cure cancer every day), either for free, for a small donation, or offer a short session for $10- $20.
I would have said, “I’m retired, I would keep it,” but that probably wouldn’t be acceptable, would it?
It’s a rules bender, for sure, John, but if you can sneak out the door with it … I’d help, if you bought me a new car.
Might be able to swing it….
thanks for sharing this, Eli – I think I’m the only one who didn’t take this seriously enough haha. xx
That’s a distinction worth noting around here, Tianna. That’s the way to make a debut! Glad to have you in this gaggle.
It is SO FUN to read these answers and see how other bloggers would spend their money–so many great responses! Thanks again for inviting me to participate in this prompt. A pleasure, as always ❤ XOXO
It’s always a good batch, isn’t it? Love that you were in it.
So fun to read this months ideas! So many great ones!! Looking forward to next months challenge- gonna do my best to join in!! In the mean time, here’s mine: Update my kitchen, Shopping Spree, Charity!
Glad you liked it, Vicki. Great to see you here! Email me if I haven’t sent you a message yet (I thought it, but did I do it?) I could join you on the shopping spree, right?
Yes you did send an email. I am working on it!!!
Shopping spree???!!! For the kitchen?? You may have to turn in your man card then!!!! Hahaahahaaaa!!!! Just kidding!!
Good, Vicki! Look forward to what you come up with. My man card is secure, right there under the bag of pork rinds and next to the case of beef jerky.
Ha hahahahaa!!!!!
Fantastic responses as usual and loved the comments here as well, always entertaining. Thanks for letting me be part of your awesome crowd Eli.
We have a good time, don’t we Miriam? So glad you’re part of it.
Me too Eli.
i love the thoughtful kindness of everyone here. thanks for including me
you’re a big part of this thoughtfulness and kindness, you know, beth.
We are good people and I am so darn proud of all of us!! If only this were real and we could just love on so many people… and pets! 🙂
We’re not a bad bunch, Les. We can really put love on everywhere, even without the million bucks.
So much fun,so many good ideas. Thanks for including The Word Nerd. 😉
Lots of million-dollar ideas, Julia. Glad you could join us!
So many great responses again, Eli 🙂
I particularly loved
# 6. Moms needing childcare for sanity breaks!
# 13. Start a non-profit for the needy.
# 16. Every police dog gets bulletproof bests! (this is my favourite)
# 22. My parents. I’m in the will. (the cheekiest)
# 40. I’d build homes for the homeless. (we could combine our million $s )
# 41. Big bucks. Big responsibility. Prayerfully consider. (the wisest)
It was a good haul, wasn’t it, Lyn? You picked out some gems, for sure.
Thanks for letting me join in again. It was fun to read through everyone’s good wishes! This post is a great example of why I love blogging!
Always great to have you, Louise. When they’re all in one place like this, it makes me wish I could sneak it into Jesus’ hand as we shake hands, and hear him say, “Eli, I’ll see what we can do.”
Bloggers are the cheese on life’s enchilada, aren’t they?
Oh I know what you mean there… But, hey – if you ever get that hearing with JC … [and here’s where I deleted my original comment because I remember other peoples’ comment feeds aren’t about me and my issues].
Yes, bloggers really are the added awesome on life for those that find this world. I love (the generally safe) space it give to both read and share thoughts. I’m better for blogging.
Well, my comment feed is here for you, Louise, so please never hold back. Without bloggers, the web would be nothing but Victoria’s Secret catalogs and The Onion.
I’m better for blogging, but even more so for the paths that have crossed with mine, such as yours.
Ahhhh -thx. As for comments – I hit a point where if I cross into the “paragraphs vs sentences” realm – I cut and paste out and consider a post of my own 🙂
Sound practice, Louise. I often elaborate on a comment and make an whole post of it.
Well, now I feel bad -Everyone had such great causes and mine was pretty selfish! 😢
You’re contributing to the economy, Lisa – and plus, the party’s at your house.
All great choices.. My answer: “split it between several animal shelters”.
Now, that’s a good cause, Ellen.
Great ideas here! That would be quite the snack stash, Eli. You’d have to set aside some money for a giant pantry, too.
A good roundup, wouldn’t you say, Dana? I like to think epically when it comes to stash. And I’d not think the snacks would last long enough to worry about storage.
We have some serious dog lovers here.
And if only more of the wealthy thought like WB.
Makes sense, Diana. Maybe we could get someone to help us out with these ideas.
Great post! Enjoyed hearing the ideas : )
Thanks, Stephanie! I’ve seen you at Eric’s place, and look forward to reading you soon.
Reblogged this on A Momma's View and commented:
A great question posed by Eli in his “In 6 Words” feature. Some fun answers and I wonder what you would say?
That snow day snack fund is tempting… I would add a heat day snack fund to the mix too…
There ought to be funds for days deemed “moderately warm,” “moderately cool,” “seasonal,” “unseasonal” and “etc.”
So there should 😂
That was fun to read, and very revealing.
I like to think of these posts as a cross-section of my tribe.
Best friends who live in Michigan…
We have already had that conversation because we used to buy lottery tickets together! 😀
What part of the hand are they in, or are they in the UP? (I say it like I know what the hell I’m talking about, Courtney.)
They are just north of Detroit so they are in the upper part of the “thumb” LOL! 😀
We Coloradans with rectangular heads could do something similar, but we don’t, Courtney.
So, my first question is, do you eat the pizza and ginger snaps together? Because that’s an interesting combination. Seriously, though, there are some wonderful suggestions here. Some people had some really clever ideas!
Well, one’s for dessert, Lulu. Your guess as to which one! I was happy with this fresh catch. Lots of brain power here, much of it for good!
Parents, Kids, Hubby, BFF, and church!
Nice roundup, Rabia – yet, not enough words to include “favorite dad blogger.”
A mere million? Well, then, me.
With, what, %40 to Uncle Sam? It’s a pittance when all is said and done, RR.
Reblogged this on All In A Dad's Work and commented:
I’m a little late with the reblog, but it’s still just as good. My “strange blogging friend” asked what we’d do with a million dollars if we couldn’t keep it for ourselves but we can only use 6 words. Think about what you would do with it, then head over and see what’s Eli’s “strange blogging friends” would do.
I was really surprised at all the altruistic comments Eli! Did my heart good, and kind of renews my faith in my fellow (wo)man. 🙂
It’s a good crowd for that kind of thing, Cathy. What matters most is what we do in our own worlds, because side-by-side, just that sort of action can spread in the best possible ways. I believe in that.