Where Does Luck Come In?

In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, which I know was yesterday, I wanted to write about luck this week and its role in our lives. Everyone always talks about hard work and how with hardwork and dedication we can go places. I’m not here to disagree, but I also believe there is a bit of luck infused in many situations.

to me, luck is about the uncontrollable variables. Many times, we can control our input, or actions in a situation, but not those of the world around us. As a teen, I remember hydro planing on a highway outside of Washington DC during rush hour. The vehicle felt like it was a ping pong ball between guard rails, and by some miracle, luck guardian angel or mix of all three, none of the five teens in the car were hurt nor did we hit anyone. Now that certainly wasn’t due to my hardwork. If anything, my slamming on the brakes was what contributed to us losing complete control.

Still, luck comes in many forms. I think most of us recognize it in the casinos, but it plays a big part in our lives from keeping us alive in precarious situations to having our boss notice something at work just due to timing, or a matter of finding a twenty dollar bill on the floor. Some of this is pure luck, and some of this is a mix of skill (hard work and performing well) and luck. Either way, it is something I believe contributes to our lives everyday.

Happy writing this week and as the saying goes (I think), may the luck of the Irish be with you!

Filed under: A writer's life, Toni Kelly