Thursday, September 28, 2006
Luck - it's all how you look at it
I do think there’s a certain bit of luck in everything we do, like whether or not you catch that green light or if the weather cooperates with your plans. But I also think luck is a relative thing. I may pick up a quarter and think it was pretty nifty that I found it. Someone else may happen upon that same quarter and think, “Chuh, a quarter? I’m not bending over for anything less than a dollar!” Wait, that didn’t sound right. Umm… okay you know what I mean.
I could sit around and think how unlucky I was to have gotten a drug addict with a criminal boyfriend for renters. How was I to know? I could bemoan the fact that I’m living paycheck to paycheck with hardly anything left over. I could complain forever about being cursed with asthma. But really, what good would that do me? All this “woe is me and my bad luck” is just pessimistic, glass-half-empty bullshit.
I have a more optimistic outlook on life. Despite all the things that could be improved, I am darn lucky. The renter may be a deadbeat, but her daughter still pays the rent. At least I have a job. And my asthma isn’t really that bad, only when I breathe hard or if the air is cold. I had a friend who needed to use his inhaler every single day. I’m lucky in comparison.
But the thing that started this whole line of thought about luck… I’ve been lucky I haven’t been pulled over by traffic cops. I was rifling through multiple drawers and piles of paper (organization is not my strong suit), searching for a contract, when I discovered my car’s registration for 2006. I stared at it thinking, “Uhh… didn’t I put this sticker on my plate already??” Lo and behold, when I went to check, my car was still sporting last year’s sticker. Holy crap. I’ve been driving around for half a year with expired registration and stickers, often in a city with a police force known for having sticks up their collective butts. I don’t care what you say, I’ve been lucky.
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Categories: • Thinking aloud