Jul 20, 2017 [thespec.com] by Emma Reilly Hamilton Spectator

Thea Faulds was relaxing in her backyard Saturday night when she spotted a good omen in the heavens.

“I saw a shooting star. And my husband said, “Did you make a wish?” recalls Faulds. “And I said, ‘No, I have everything I want.'”

But the next day, when Faulds was in the checkout line at Shoppers Drug Mart on Barton Street, the woman in front of her bought a lottery ticket. Without really knowing why, Faulds decided to buy one, too.

“I don’t really buy lottery tickets that often, and I don’t even know why I bought one,” she said.

As it turns out, the stars were aligned in her favour.

The 44-year-old won Instant Cash for Life, which awards winners with $1,000 cash every week — literally, for life.

“You can choose a payout of $675,000, or you can get $1,000 — genuinely for the rest of your life,” Faulds said. “I thought it would be only for 20, 25 years.”

The reality of her windfall still hasn’t sunk in, Faulds says.

“I’m kind of in shock still — I’m still going to work and doing what I normally do,” she said. “It hits me in the middle of the night, actually.”

Faulds, who founded the Toronto Zombie Walk and works as the director of operations at the Centre[3] for Print and Media Arts, says she intends to keep working — at least for the time being. However, she does have plans for her extra cash.