In the past month, I found two four leaf clovers (aka shamrocks.) Considering that they are not easy to find, and somewhat rare for the casual clover viewer -- well, I felt kind of lucky. The funny part was that the circumstances under which I found these little gems made my story feel special.
In both cases, I was at the high school field, sitting in a lawn chair, watching the Freshman baseball team play. The skies were gray, the air was cold. This is life in May in Central New York. Spring ball can be a challenge for even the most dedicated fans.
The first time the team wasn't finding their groove at all. They kept missing the easy plays and I think they just didn't have their heads into the game. I admit, I was discouraged -- all the parents were -- and I was just looking down at the ground around my feet. I brushed my hand against it -- and tilted my head in disbelief. I had to get down really close to the ground to inspect it. Wow! It was a four leaf clover! I can't tell you how giddy I was!
Of course, I announced it to the rest of the parents on the team and my daughter rushed down to tell my son. Wouldn't you know it, they won the game! Silly, right? But that feeling of something special carried over to the rest of my week. Whereas I was feeling in the dumps before, letting those gray CNY clouds get the better of my mood, suddenly things just seemed to be unfolding in front of me.
Now the second clover find happened at a game similar to the first. The boys were having a rough time of it. And again, I wasn't really paying attention. After the rarity of finding the first (they say the odds are 1 in 10,000) I wasn't really looking for another clover. But sure enough -- I let my eyes fall to the ground right by my chair. When I focused, a smile crept across my face, then I yelled out loud! I found another! There is was! And sure enough, the boys pulled ahead and won the game!
While the lottery tickets I bought weren't winners (shocking, right?) I did have a slight change in perspective. Prior to finding those clovers, I was feeling a bit bummed about some recent changes in my routine. Those clovers reminded me that sometimes when things are not quite as you'd like them to be, luck can appear and change your fate.
Now of course, I've been looking for them. And I haven't found more! But that's OK as I don't think luck is something you can really control. Yes, being in a field overrun by clover did increase my chance of finding one of these little mutated plants. But I had to be relaxed enough to let my eyes see it for what it was. After all, if you look too hard, sometimes you miss the very thing right in front of your eyes.
I was relaying my story to another mom at the field this weekend (I was scanning the ground while she was talking to me...) She told me that she actually bought a package of shamrock seeds and her girls routinely find the lucky clovers! I have to laugh. I guess that's what's called "Making your own luck."
As for me, I'll just keep putting myself in the right fields ... and leave my eyes open to the possibilities that exist. Hopefully, I won't overlook my lucky moment.
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