The moon, the sun, and Powerball

Have you noticed the big, full moon, so abundant and bright in the early morning and late evening? It was especially stunning Monday night just before sundown, with streaks of clouds and the fading sunlight giving it a serene, pinkish glow in the eastern sky, at almost exactly the same time that a huge sun was sinking to blazing glory in the west.

The moon's beauty and sun's glory are among life's treasures ... visual treats to be shared no matter where we live. Editorial writers in Omaha agree, writing in this morning's World-Herald: "Once in a while there are compensations for getting up before the sun. Consider Monday morning, when a drive west in the slowly fading twilight took one toward a nearly full harvest moon, getting larger and larger and more orange. Then, turning to the east, one could see the equally large orange sun peaking over the Loess Hills, with sharply cut cloud patterns and two comet-like jet trails to add to the panorama. Moonset and sunrise in the same commute. Not bad at all."

On the east end of the state and on the west, we shared very similar eye-catching experiences. The glorious moon fall and sunset are not only beautiful to behold, they put us in awe of the magnificent universe which surrounds us.

Meanwhile, Back on Earth ... After taking a few moments to contemplate the universe, we return to earth and Americans' pursuit of riches through Powerball. The jackpot has risen to $340 million, prompting a large turnout of ticket-buyers.

As most of us know -- even when we plop down the money for tickets -- the chances of getting struck by lightning are greater than that of winning the lottery. In fact, they're much better.

Robynn Tysver, a writer for the Omaha World-Herald, reports that the odds of winning the jackpot are one in 146 million. In comparison, the lifetime odds of getting killed by lightning are one in 56,439.

Still, it's a good bet we will race to the Powerball vendors in record numbers until the big prize is given away.

After all, someone has to win the money eventually, don't they? And, if someone has to win, it might just as well be us, right?

For Powerball players, the fun is in the fantasizing. Let someone else worry about lightning strikes. They're focused on winning the big bucks. And, by the way, should I take cash, or annual payments for the $340 million payout?