THOUGHTS | WINNINGS AND OTHER IMPROBABILITIES

REMEMBER TO ENTER THE PUTUMAYA CONTEST FOR A TRIP TO BARBADOS. THE CONTEST ENDS TODAY, FRIDAY, MARCH 10, AT 11:59 EST. http://www.putumayo.com/barbados.html. FOR DETAILS, SCROLL DOWN TWO POSTS.

The reactions are trickling in.

“Who knew there were so many travel contests.”

“Do you know anyone who’s won a trip?”

Yes, as a matter of fact, I know several people who’ve won trips. A friend of mine won a trip to Hawaii last year. She was entered automatically when she contributed to the local public television during pledge week. (I thought I'd permanently disabled my I Hate Pledge Week button, but apparently it's still activated, because I just remembered just how much I hate that obnoxious form of fundraising when I typed "pledge week.) By coincidence, I had recently started fantasizing about winning something, anything, well, almost anything, especially a trip to some place luxuriant and tropical and bright (provided there’s shade).

Of course, I know that in the hierarchy of winnings, a trip is low on the totem pole. And I do entertain thoughts about the wonderful things I would do if I were to win the Powerball. (Among them: start a nonprofit to promote travel to developing countries with emerging track records in using tourism proceeds to alleviate poverty.) But my thoughts kept returning to the very short-term and totally self-interested idea of winning a trip. I actually started visualizing the plane tickets arriving in the mail. Then I remembered they'd probably send them electronically. I also know several people who’ve won trips at a travel writer’s conference I’ve attended for the past four years. One was to Australia, another to Sedona, Arizona. So, I thought, why not me? And I made a resolution to start entering travel contests this year.

And here I am.