The Black Book of Happiness

A twenty grand prize. Twenty Thousand dollars. The price, or nearly so, of many mid sized vehicles. A decent down payment on a house.

Briggs laughed softly to himself as he held the lottery ticket..an impulse purchase at a run down convenience store... that gave him the unexpected bonus. Of all people to win, a comfortable multi-millionaire with money in the bank, no mortgage, and simple tastes. No ostentatious office for him; a simple,functional desk in a modest office piled with papers, stacked with books,and a rusty filing cabinet in one corner.

The brightest spot was a gorgeous iridescent Beta swimming around in a lushly appointed aquarium, wing-like fins drifting gracefully as it swirled.

Priorities. What to do with an unexpected 20,000?

Gold? Silver? More stocks? Throw it away on some allegedly up and coming Crypto?

Ten percent, of course, to charity; that was Briggs' inflexible rule.

Pondering.

What about black book prizes? A thousand dollars, tucked into 18 black books, perhaps with a note;

"here's an opportunity and a blessing. Take it and be well. If inclined, let me know in 30 days what you did with it by emailing [email protected]."

Kathy, his admin assistant would appreciate the experiment and would enthusiastically help him locate the 18 recipients.

No one with a high net worth. The money should be a boon, not a convenience.

Would a thousand dollars make so much difference in peoples' lives?

( One week later:)

Kathy meets Briggs in the modestly appointed office.

"I've found 18 people that I think would definitely be able to use a grand. With your approval, I'll get the black books delivered to them anonymously right away."

Briggs didn't ask how she chose them; she was out and about in the community, had many contacts on social media. She would find the best options.

Anonymity,while possibly a little suspicious and frightening, would remove any sense of obligation and help maintain the recipients' dignity as it were.

The money was then divided into eighteen 1000 dollar cash bundles and tucked into small black bound calendar journals. Smooth lined pages to record thoughts, hopes, dreams. Pages to record plans, make lists, write tasks.

Brain fodder translated to pen and ink; hopelessly old fashioned by today's standards.

The final note read:

"If you have received this, don't be alarmed; it is not illegally obtained money and there is no obligation attached to it. Please take and use as you wish. If you are inclined, please email after 30 days to let us know the outcome. Be blessed." A generic email address was listed at the bottom; an account Briggs seldom ever used.

The black books would be delivered in plain brown envelopes by special messenger.

30 days later, Briggs and Kathy check the email account to see 16 replies.

" dear kind stranger, " the first one from [email protected] "At first I was scared to take this money and spend it. But my rent was due and this caught me up for the next two months. I have 3 children under the age of 8. This was a blessing. Thank you!"

"Hello, whoever you are. Thanks for the greatest party of my life! I turned 21 three weeks ago and we had a great bash... a few kegs, great food, lots of fun! Wish you could have joined us, because obviously you're awesome! thanks again!" [email protected]

" To whom it may concern: I received the cash in the little black notebook. There is no way this can be on the level. Obviously this is illicit money that you're trying to foist off on some innocent person so they'll take the blame for whatever heinous thing you did. For shame! I have donated it to the Salvation Army so the taint of criminality will be removed by charity." [email protected]

Several more replies were in the vein of single parents paying bills, people applying it to tuition, a couple bought tires.

"Dear sir or madam: thank you so much for the money, for whatever reason you gave it away. I used it to help start my home crafting business and I am now on Etsy. I am already making sales. Bless you for your part in this!"

"Dear sir," said one. "I have decided to give away 100 dollars each to 10 people who can use it. Lots of people have helped me in my life and I want to help some others. Thank you for making that possible."

" To the nice person who gave me a thousand dollars: I am a widow, 83 years old, and have never been on a cruise. Thanks to you I can now go on at least two nice cruise trips before I pass from this earth. Bless you for enabling me to make that happen."

"Dear awesome person... I have been saving to buy a horse and with this money, I can now make that dream come true! thank you thank you thank you! "

The final one really made Briggs' smile.

" Hi! Just wanted to let you know that this money came in SOOOOO handy! Can't tell you how happy I was to get it, just hope it was ok to really spend it! Here's what I did:

Bought 100 one dollar scratch off tickets; won 50 bucks. Net loss, 50$.

Bought 20 two dollar Powerball tickets. Won 100 bucks. gain: 60 bucks, overall net gain 10$.

With what was left, I got a rescue dog; kennel, leash, collar, dog bed, and some leftover for food and follow up vet care. Sasha is a beautiful 4 year old Shepherd mix, and the best dog in the world! thank you for helping me get my best friend! Money really CAN buy happiness!"

Briggs and Kathy chuckled over the emails; the experiment had indeed changed some lives for the better. Who knows...maybe they'd do it again someday.