Thursday, November 6, 2008

Not Lucky but Fortunate

I have no chance at games of chance. Even when I feel sure that I am going to win. I don't usually play the lottery, but there have been a few times where I was absolutely SURE if I bought a ticket I would win. Nope.

I babysit a lot. And I play a lot of games for 3-6 year olds. Most of them are games of chance that build skills by counting, recognizing colors, etc. They are not games of skill. If my charges were a little older, they might believe that I was letting them win. I am not. If it is a game that relies on the roll of dice or spin of spinner, I will lose. EVERY time. Seriously. I am not a big enough person to let a five year old beat me at Chutes and Ladders because I want to improve his self esteem. I console myself with the fact that at least I don't cheat.

Once I won a door prize. I got to spend a couple hours at a local spa with SHG. I think that is the only thing I have ever won by chance. Don't get me wrong. It was a nice prize, it was a fun time. But if you look at all the chances over all the years, some might call me unlucky.

I might agree. But there is no question in my mind that I am fortunate. Fortunate that I was brought up by people who knew how to do things and taught me. (I remember being in my Dad's kitchen at one point and him saying "I am going to teach you how to de-bone a chicken and it is going to save you a lot of money in the future." And it did. We made stock from the bones afterwards.) I am fortunate to have my friends and family in a beautiful place that is vibrant and supportive. And I am honored to be associated with people who are dedicated to creating things instead of simply consuming them.

Tuesday's election made me proud to be an American again after a very very long time. I know that there are many hard days ahead, but I feel grounded now and prepared to move forward. And in all the ways that matter I feel richer than ever before.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hey, I had totally forgotten about that spa evening! It *was* fun.