So picture this: you're at work, maybe a little hungover from life, maybe scrolling through the news pretending to be productive, and BAM — a woman in Kentucky just won $281,651 in the lottery and showed up to claim it… carrying a carton of eggs.
Yes. Eggs. Like the kind you make omelets with. And no, this isn’t some bizarre TikTok challenge or a low-budget sequel to Chicken Run. It’s real life. And it’s glorious.
Hazel Morris, resident of Chavies, Kentucky — a place that sounds like it was named by someone chewing tobacco mid-sentence — hit the jackpot playing an online game called Elephant King. Because of course she did. And because we’re all living in a simulation run by Reddit users, she walked into the Kentucky Lottery HQ with her husband and that random carton of eggs like it was just another Tuesday.
Turns out, the eggs were a reference to an Internet meme. (Because, again, simulation.) The meme shows a fridge full of eggs with the caption: "I wouldn't tell anyone I won the lottery, but there will be signs." Hazel had been sending it around as a joke. Little did she know she’d end up living it. Manifestation? Law of attraction? Egg-based witchcraft? Who knows. But it happened.
Now, let’s talk about the actual moment she won — because it was the kind of random, low-stakes decision-making that changes lives in ways therapists later can’t even explain.
Hazel had been playing Kentucky Lottery Instant Play games online. She won a bit, thought “Eh, maybe I should stop,” and then, like every gambler ever, said “Screw it, I’ll play a little more.” She bet a dollar a hand. FIVE TIMES. And then the screen basically screamed “YOU WON $281,651!”
Cue the shaking. Cue the existential disbelief. Cue calling her husband Dale with the words no married man is prepared to hear: "I've done something." (Pro tip: never lead with that.)
After convincing herself it wasn’t a glitch in the Matrix, she FaceTimed her daughter. Her daughter freaked. Then they FaceTimed Hazel’s son, who’s in the Air Force, and he said what every son says when his mom claims she just won six figures on a slot machine named after a pachyderm: “Yeah, sure, Mom.” But she proved it. With receipts.
When Hazel and Dale walked into the lottery office on March 19 to claim their prize, they brought the eggs. Not for breakfast. For the bit. Because when life gives you memes, you lean all the way in.
Post-taxes, they walked away with $202,789.01 — and if you’ve ever done taxes, you’ll know that 1 cent was the universe’s way of saying “lol.”
Now, here’s where Hazel gets real. She’s been working in the kitchen at the Eastern Kentucky Veterans Center for 22 years. She knows what life costs. She knows this isn't yacht money. But it is peace-of-mind money. She’s using it to pay off debt, save for retirement, help the kids, and thank the people who’ve been there for her. She even bought donuts to celebrate. Not a mansion. Not a Tesla. Donuts.
That, my friends, is emotional intelligence.
Her husband, Dale, added: “She does a lot in the community and helps out. It’s well deserved.”
So there you have it. In a world filled with war, economic dread, and subscription fees for everything, a woman won the lottery and brought eggs to claim it. Because sometimes, life gives you a punchline. And sometimes, you get to be the punchline and the winner.
The lesson? Don’t ignore your memes. Don’t cash out too early. And for goodness’ sake, don’t underestimate the power of eggs.