you've got to ask yourself a question

Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?

As long as I can remember, I have considered myself lucky. To the point where people want to slap me. Really, I am aware that my endless optimism at times can be like fingernails on a chalkboard. It has been a challenge for me to catch myself while listening to the woes of others and NOT mention the bright side, instead to just say something like "That sucks." People appreciate that effort, really they do.

It is ridiculous the things I brush off.

Yeah, when I was a flight attendant it turned out I was airsick the whole first month. I'm just lucky I got over it.

It's a bummer I lost my luggage coming home from the holidays. Luckily none of my weezer stuff was in it! Or that I didn't lose it at the beginning of my trip! Now that would have been unlucky.

What, I had two major surgeries in one year? Lucky I have a job that continued to pay me while I was laid up both times!!! Whew, dodged that bullet!

I was surprised recently when I was discussing this innate sense of good fortune with one of my close friends and she mentioned that she believes she too has luck, but all bad. She has an awesome life, I was shocked! Part of the reason she feels this way is because she views someone with good luck as the type that wins the lottery, or who has things just fall in his or her lap. I think that even more this outlook has to do also with her father still to this day often blaming things on the bad family luck. Everything she has is because she worked hard for it, and even is more deserving to bask in her success because she overcame her family curse.

This got me thinking about what influence my upbringing has had on my outlook. Growing up, my parents always said I was born under a lucky star, I was told so as far back as I can remember. The funny thing is, they often said this to comfort my older brother because I would beat him all the time at any game we played. Really - I always won.

Why?

Because I cheated ALL the time. Ooops, oh yeah, interesting how that one works. Funny, but realizing that doesn’t make me feel any less fortunate.

I guess I was lucky I never got caught.

(Except it was good luck getting caught that one time in Disney, since I got in trouble for that little thing instead of...you know) ;}