Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Ever-so-Lucky!

Ever-so-Lucky!
©Allen Merritt (2016)

Do you ever think about how lucky we are? Or, are most thoughts about questioning everything and asking why me, woe is me or why not me?

This week I have taken stock in the fact that I am still able to get up and try every day, that there are opportunities for me to grab hold of. I listen to so many friends and acquaintances tell their stories and catch me up on all the problems, but I do not necessarily hear them give thanks for anything going well.


Used to be that having food and shelter was a thing people were grateful for. Is it now taken for granted by many? Not sure how to answer that. But on a personal note, I am thinking I have much to be thankful for. For example, I was able to commute in to work this week because a check cleared just in time for me to pay a bill. As a result, I was able to get transportation for the commute and make it to the job, which provided a small promotional opportunity. I also made it to the post office to pick up the only check I have had in a month. That gave me a little money to tie me over. Not only that, by being in the right place at the right time I was able to see an old friend I had not seen in over 20 years and ended up spending the night at their place saving a hotel stay. Furthermore, I was able to provide a friendly ear to my friend and realized how lucky I was.I don't think any of this was mere coincidence.

The next day I headed home and found myself witnessing the beginning of a car accident on the freeway. One car was sitting upright on its side; engine still running and white smoke flooding out of the tail pipe. I hoped everyone was okay and realized how lucky I was to have just missed it and at the same time be able to go around it quickly without delay. During the drive, I got a phone call and an email offering a couple days of work and a new project. And, I made it home safe and sound.

It appears many of us have great opportunity and are indeed "ever-so-lucky" as often as not. Maybe we just don't know it or refuse to acknowledge it, therefore blindsiding ourselves and our futures. Shouldn't the good grace of each day count for something in our day-to-day? As I write, I think about the idea of "count your many blessings." If we stop a moment and reassess what is happening in our life instead of focusing on the negative and what we don't have in our lives, we may discover we have more then we think. How can we enjoy the short life we have by always getting distracted by thoughtless mindsets?

As a child I remember always searching the summer grasses for the illusory four leaf clover, because if you found one and you saved it by pressing it between the pages of a book, then you had found good luck.  And, everyone likes the idea of finding luck, right?

Interestingly, the dictionary describes luck as something without purpose, which cannot be predicted or controlled either positively and/or negatively. ¹

What does that mean?

I take it to mean that luck is only as good as you perceive it. Luck can actually be good or bad. Think about the concept of breaking a mirror and ending up with seven years bad luck. But it also goes further than that. When we choose to see the blessings and start counting them, then we begin to see the better side of things and not always the bad news that is shoved in our face.
  
What is "lucky"?

Maybe true luck is being fortunate as opposed to finding fortune. Maybe it is about receiving many blessings and knowing you are enriched by your life as opposed to being rich monetarily. Luck knows each moment is truly a real moment to take advantage of. It’s serendipitous and heaven sent. Luck is something you create, take, embrace and accept understanding that it can be abundant if you allow it to be. None of us have ever been promised anything, so each moment we get makes us ever-so-lucky. Now, this does not mean we shouldn’t aim for the sky and hope for the best and make things better as we can. It simply means we have more than we know. Life in and of itself makes us lucky.

Here is a song to help inspire you to think about what lucky means to you and maybe reconsider what makes your daily life so lucky.


Enjoy your week!

Cheers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luck (Viewed on 7/26/16)¹





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