Monday, March 12, 2012

Why it feels good to get lucky

Friday morning, I felt the overwhelming urge to post to Facebook about my breakfast.





Though it's true I was amused by my mutant egg, I was mostly just being goofy.

But within minutes, Facebook friends began commenting about how double-yolk eggs are notorious good luck signs. Many congratulated on my good fortune. One person noted that a recent month in which she found two double-yolk eggs turned out to be one of her best ever. The manager of the grocery store where I bought the eggs even jumped into the discussion.

Apparently, my breakfast is a hotter topic than I imagined.

I'll admit the whole thing had me on the lookout for good fortune throughout the day. Unsurprisingly, I didn't have to look hard. A hairbrush I'd been missing for two days turned up in my bathroom drawer. A media pitch I'd done earlier in the week for the day job yielded a nice piece of press coverage in a prominent publication. My pharmacist noticed I don't have prescription drug coverage and offered to sign me up for a discount program that knocked an extra five bucks off my birth control pills (I thanked him by offering a Believe it or Not bookmark and suggesting his wife might enjoy the book, and that he might enjoy his wife's enjoyment of the book. Or something like that. Never let it be said I won't got the extra mile for marketing).

Looking at that list of my good fortune, I'm struck by something interesting. Every single one of those items could be viewed through a negative light. I could choose to be pissed off the hairbrush went missing in the first place (the result of a poorly constructed bathroom drawer and a hidden area where the brush had slipped unnoticed.) I could point out that while that media pitch yielded a positive outcome, at least 20 others I did last week failed to produce any results. I could also gripe about the fact that my health insurance – which I pay for out-of-pocket every single month – sucks wombat testicles.

But none of those things crossed my mind until I sat down to write this blog post. I'm a firm believer in the importance of keeping an eye out for my own good fortune. If I'm vigilant about noticing the ways in which I'm lucky, I'll always feel lucky.

And let's face it – few things feel as great as getting lucky.

Do you believe in luck? Do you tend to be on the lookout for signs you're lucky, or do you sometimes slip into the habit of feeling like you're cursed? Please share!

It's time to make some breakfast. Scrambled eggs, anyone?

4 comments :

Charmaine Clancy said...

If I get one of those drive-through parks (where the park in front of yours is also empty so you can drive through to that one which means you're already facing the right way to just pull out) I declare aloud 'today is a good day'. My family think it's nuts but I get all excited. It's good to get joy from the little things in life!
WaggingTales

Summer Frey said...

Hubby and I are about the unluckiest people I know, but hope springs eternal. If we have a string of good luck, we know something bad is going to happen, and it always does. Every once in a while, though, we'll have unencumbered good fortune, like when we ended up getting pizza one night because TWO of our other choices were closed and found $147 on the floor. That was pretty sweet.

Skye said...

I hate to admit it, but I tend to feel cursed. Yes, I have had reason to, off an on, especially the last couple of years, but it does me no good and it only ups the anxiety.

Back when I was a full-throttle optimist, I always felt lucky. I never picked up lucky pennies because I wanted other to have the extra luck, feeling that I had enough. That's how I want to feel again. Plus, it's healthier. :)

I do make it up to pragmatist more often now: I have a half a glass (of whatever). Not half full or half empty, just half. And that works, too.

Noelle said...

I absolutely think it's all in how you look at it. Positive thinking goes a long way in feeling better, generally. I believe in luck, only to the extent that I believe you can see the good side to everything. And yes, I'm one of those annoying people with rainbows coming out of my backside most days. :D