Now, I'm not a superstitious person and I don't believe in luck. I believe that life happens, and our perceptions of the events can be both good and bad. If I go around looking for bad luck, I will find it. It was probably there all along. So I try to remind myself to look for the good luck in life every day. Take, for example, my last trip to the grocery store. Is it bad luck that I accidentally bought cinnamon raisin English muffins (yuck, pthh) instead of my regular whole wheat? Or is it good luck that I realized my error before I (heaven forbid) ate one?
This week I left Jack home for an hour while I was at a teacher conference. Just before I returned home, an unmarked beat up white van pulled in the driveway. An unfamiliar man got out of the car. Jack got scared. He ran downstairs, out the back door and around half the block in his socks. There he stopped to phone a neighbor. As I returned home, my neighbor arrived with Jack to investigate. They found a box of butternut squash and beets on our porch. Wednesdays I have a fresh fruit and vegetables delivered to my house.
Is it bad luck that I didn't arrive home ten minutes earlier? I would have recognized the van and driver and the entire incident would have been avoided. Or is it good luck to be reminded that Jack has a good head on his shoulders. When faced with potential danger, kept his cool, left the house immediately and called for help.
Yesterday Paul was driving home from work in heavy traffic. When the woman in front of him braked suddenly, he didn't stop in time and rear ended her car. Is it bad luck that Paul was in a car accident? Or is it good luck that it was minor, no one was hurt and we have insurance to cover much of the costs.
Every evening when we eat dinner together as a family, we say our "thankfuls." Some days they come easily. It seems like good luck is all around us and everything is going our way. Other days are harder. After experiencing a particularly difficult day, we say, "Tonight I'm thankful that every day is not as bad as this one." As much as we're kidding around, there's an element of truth to that statement. After a bad day, I think it's good luck to have a family who loves me, food on the table and the knowledge that tomorrow is just a day away.
Friday the 13th. I haven't seen any black cats yet. Just a big black dog. Isn't that good luck!
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