C’mon Lady Luck

My week started on an ominous note.

I took a walk early on Monday. A good habit, right? That’s what I thought, until out of nowhere, a black cat crossed my path. Every culture is different, but in Western cultures, black cats are often associated with bad luck. In some other places in the world, the exact opposite is true. They’re considered a good luck sign.

At that moment, I wasn’t really up for debating the finer points of luck. I was simply trying to get some exercise in before my day got away from me. In the middle of the trail, the cat looked right at me and I swear it hissed at me. We’re ten feet apart and it hisses at me. Now, it was a strange hiss. It sounded to me more like an evil laugh. Or maybe the cat just had really bad allergies and was coughing up a hairball. Nevertheless, I felt like the cat was giving me a warning to leave and never come back.

“Hey buddy, you jumped out in front of me. I didn’t come after you,” I said. With that, the cat jumped in the weeds and disappeared in the woods.

Now I’m generally not the superstitious type but I was tempted to turn back the other way. I was cold. I was cranky. And just wanted to get back under my covers. The heck with this scary crap. But I was already up, so I continued on my way. Fortunately for me, things got better.

A stroke of luck

On my way back to my house, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I picked it up. It was only a penny, but I had just read a story about Benjamin Franklin, the famous Philadelphia publisher, inventor, and founding father. He knew a thing or two about money. He wrote “A penny saved is two pence clear.” It doesn’t have the same zip as “A penny saved is a penny earned,” but hey it still works.

Ben’s advice was clearly in my head. Of course, I had to pick up the penny.

Anyway, a second after I put the coin in my pocket, my cell phone dinged with a text. It said that my beautiful Island Princess was waiting for me to respond. I just needed to send her $100 in gift cards and she was going to reward me with a million dollar prize. Sounds like a nice trade, right? Once I sent her the money, she would send my winnings and I would be invited to join her on our yacht in the South Pacific.

Oh, my good fortune. My luck had finally come in!

A Lucky Dog

My princess was waiting for me. “Here I come honey.” I was about to hit reply. Then, I remembered that my wife might have a thing or two to say about the matter. Oh rats! The memory for “For better or worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health” came rushing back. “Oh Princess, it won’t be today.” I finished my walk, but my day was about to get even more interesting.

When I got home, I was famished. I decided to make myself an egg before I showered and got ready for work. When I tried to fill up the salt shaker, I spilled a small clump of salt on the floor. Uh-oh, more bad luck.

But I was on the ball, I jumped into action. I threw enough salt over my shoulder that it looked like we had a snow storm inside the house. Damn that Nor’easter came up the coast fast and packed a wallop. We’ll be snowed in for the next six weeks. If not snow, then I definitely had a bad case of dandruff. I had white stuff all over my shirt. Head & Shoulders Shampoo, where are you when I need you?

A String of Good Luck

Anyway, I fretted about my bad luck, but that night we got Chinese for dinner. My fortune cookie told me exactly what I wanted to hear. It told me that I was going to win one of the big lottery games. Oh, the fortune cookie used some different wording. And we may quibble some on details, but the intent was clear. The fortune cookie said: “Happiness isn’t in having what you want but rather in wanting what you have.”

Trust me. Yes, trust me. That’s code for “It’s your lucky break! You’re going to win the Powerball this week Brian!”

Yahooooooo! I’m a winner. I just need to avoid opening any umbrellas. I need to make sure I don’t break any mirrors too. And I’m staying away from all ladders. It’s my lucky week!

Making Your Own Luck

My wife suggested that maybe good luck is in eye of the beholder and that life is about hard work and what we do with the blessings we’ve been given. Yea, yea, I laughed too. Silly her. She doesn’t have the same faith as me. That’s okay, I’m certain my luck has come in. I still promise to share with her.

Come on lady luck! Daddy, needs a new pair of shoes. And a nice addition to his retirement fund!

What do you think? Are you superstitious? Do you have good luck charms?