Most people equate luck to winning the lottery or something similar. However, due to several experiences, my family’s take on luck is different. We call it the Lottery of Blessings. It’s hard for us to believe in bad luck when we feel like the luckiest, unlucky people in the world. I’ll explain.
Years ago, I was in a horrible car accident. It involved a head-on hit and run by a drunk driver heading the wrong way on the interstate at a high speed, pulling a trailer full of goats. Hard to believe, I know. The situation was unlucky on many fronts. As my life flashed before my eyes, I grabbed the steering wheel and said, “God, please not today.” When my car stopped on a dime, and I literally walked away, I felt like the luckiest, unlucky person in the world.
When my daughter told friends about surviving a one-in-a-million diagnosis of a rare, life-threatening illness, they were surprised. Their surprise turned to shock when she explained that she was in attendance two years later when her uncle ran the Boston Marathon to raise awareness for her disease. It was the year of the Boston bombing; thankfully, none of our family was harmed. Her friends told her we were the most unlucky people ever. To which she replied, “Or are we the luckiest, unlucky people ever?”
Luck has a lot to do with perspective, gratitude, and faith. People who win are considered lucky. Money isn’t the only measure of luck. A ridiculous car accident, a rare diagnosis, or being in the wrong place at the wrong time is not so lucky. But no one can deny that beating those odds is more than lucky. Being grateful for the Lottery of Blessings is imperative when you’re the luckiest of unlucky people.
