If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all
Julie Seedorf, Something About Nothing
Published Monday, May 10, 2010
Do you have a lucky number? Do you believe a four-leaf clover will bring you luck? When is the last time you picked up a penny because you believed it would bring you good luck? Did your wish come true when you broke a wishbone with someone and you received the larger end? Do you carry a lucky rabbit’s foot in your pocket? If I visited your home would I find a horseshoe hung over your door for good luck?
I always say my lucky number is 2 because that is the day of the month I was born on, but I have never won anything with my lucky No. 2. So is it lucky for me? I was brought into this world on that day so perhaps even though I have never won anything with that number it is lucky for me.
It has been awhile since I have picked a four-leaf clover. It must have had a little bit of an effect on my life because one leaf is for faith, and faith has never let me down. One leaf is for hope, and I have great hope for today and the future. The third leaf is for love, and I have much love in my life. However, the fourth leaf is for luck. I feel very lucky to have faith, hope and love in my life.
Julie Seedorf
I pick up pennies all the time. They collect in my pockets. Find a penny pick it up and all day long you’ll have good luck. I must confess I haven’t kept track if my luck is good the days I have picked up the pennies. Since I usually save my pennies it must be lucky because a penny saved is a penny earned and those pennies were really easy to earn since I just picked them up off of the street or the floor. How much work does that take?
The last time I broke a wishbone I cut my finger. I guess I could consider myself lucky I didn’t get an infection from poking myself with the wishbone.
I used to have a rabbit’s foot. I hung it on my key chain. A rabbit’s foot is supposed to be lucky because rabbits are supposed to be lucky, and rabbits supposedly symbolize the return of spring and flowers. To see a rabbit running through your yard meant, it would be a good year to have children or your garden would be especially fertile that year. My take is that the rabbits made your garden very fertile so they could eat all of your plants. The unusual stride of the rabbit makes the back feet touch the ground in front of the front feet so the back feet are used for the rabbit foot because it is considered lucky. How lucky can it be that they ended up dead and their foot ended up on your key chain?
We had many horseshoes hanging around our yard when I was growing up. However, we never had one in the house or hanging over our door. So I can’t tell you about my experience with their magical powers. I can tell you about my experience with a horseshoe. It was attached to my horse, and he must have misunderstood the horseshoe over the door concept and kicked me with his horseshoe thinking that would bring me good luck.
I started thinking about luck this past week because I was lucky. I usually never win anything. My kids have always been lucky. My daughter started her luck out when she was just a few months old by winning a Christmas stocking that was five times her size. My oldest son would win money every time we played bingo at the local bingo night. Lost money seems to find him. My middle son won a huge TV last year. I could buy 50 lottery tickets and scratch until my fingers are numb and not win a cent.
However recently my luck changed. I visited Hill’s Gardens in Albert Lea. It was its open house, and I signed up for a door prize. I continued on and gazed longingly at all the beautiful plants and trees. My yard is in need of a makeover. There was so much to choose from. I bought my flowers and looked at some of the trees. We are losing the battle of saving my favorite tree in my yard so I was considering another tree to replace my old friend. I decided to save the decision for another day.
My husband gave me the news that Hill’s Gardens had called, and I had won a pine tree. I couldn’t believe it. My luck was changing. I felt so lucky. I am going to plant my tree. To me, that tree is going to be a symbol to remind me how lucky I am in my life.
I Googled “luck.” I found out:
Luck is a village in Polk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,210 at the 2000 census.
Luck (dates unknown) was an English professional cricketer who made three known appearances in major cricket matches in 1793.
Luck is a family name.
“Luck” is an 1886 short story by Mark Twain that was first published in 1891 in Harper’s Magazine. It was subsequently reprinted in 1892 in the anthology “Merry Tales”; the first British publication was in 1900, in the collection “The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg.”
Luck is something that happens to someone by chance, a chance occurrence; a superstitious feeling that brings fortune or success; to succeed by chance; to rely on luck; to carry out relying on luck.
I happen to like Tennessee Williams’ quote the best: “Luck is believing you’re lucky.”
What do you believe?
E-mail me at thecolumn@bevcomm.net , paringdown.wordpress.com, KBEW Sundays 1:30 p.m.
Wells resident Julie Seedorf’s column appears every Monday. Send e-mail to her at thecolumn@bevcomm.net .Her blog is paringdown.wordpress.com. Listen to KBEW AM radio 1:30 p.m. Sundays for “Something About Nothing.”
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