What's luck got to do with it?

I don't believe in luck.  That doesn't mean that I won't say, "I'm keeping my fingers crossed" or make wishes (which fall into the same category as luck in my book) when I blow out birthday candles.  Those things are whimsical traditions, but I don't buy that they will change anything about my life.

So, what does believing in luck have to do with happiness?  To me, a lot.  Luck is transient and ethereal.  You can't count on luck.  People think they can influence luck with charms and rituals, but by definition it operates by chance.  Relying on luck for the good things in life must be extremely stressful.  And what if you have bad luck instead of good luck?  If one can come to you at any time, so could the other.  Hard to be happy with that kind of uncertainty.

A conversation I had with a co-worker recently is what got me thinking about luck.  The day before, I had slipped on a rock and strained a ligament in my foot.  I had it checked out and had to wear a small walking boot for a couple of days to give it some support.  No big deal.  When I told my co-worker, she shook her head and said with a pitying tone, "I can't believe what bad luck you have."  I was dumbfounded by her observation and asked her what she meant.  She proceeded to point out a couple of surgeries I had in the past few years: one on my foot to remove a neuroma and two on my hand to remove cysts from my knuckles.  I told her, "That's not luck, that's life."  Our bodies have problems sometimes and I thank God that mine have been really very minor and able to be addressed and resolved. 

Rather than believing in luck, I choose to rely on God's grace and I have faith that He will see me through.  Seeing yourself as "lucky" may or may not make you happy, but having the peace that comes with acceptance of life's challenges and the knowledge that God is always on your side certainly will. So, I will thank God for my blessings and ask for His help when things are hard.  That will bring me much more happiness than throwing salt over my shoulder or carrying a rabbit's foot ever could.