If you are lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it.
John Irving






Photo by jdurham

Consider luck today and the role it plays in your life. Some are offended by the term, mistakenly assuming that when they are called lucky the person is implying they have not worked for what they have. By digging a bit deeper, we discover that the term "luck" or "lucky" can mean good fortune that comes by chance, but according to Merriam-Webster it also means "fortunate". Merriam-Webster defines fortunate as: bringing some good thing not foreseen as certain.

With that definition in mind, we are all lucky as we work hard to reach our goals and make things come to pass that "are not foreseen as certain."   The innate skills we are born with, the time and place of our birth, the family we grow up with and the world around us are brought to us by luck. We did not choose them and have no control over them.


If we are "lucky" they have given us a positive start in life and defined our "loves". Finding the courage to live that love is up to us.  I believe the first step in that journey is finding the strength to step outside ourselves and see the "luck" that has been bestowed on us and expressing our gratitude.


Today, I am grateful that the earth has cooled providing brief relief from the driving sun. I am grateful for a morning breeze to rejuvenate the soul. 


I am grateful for the cricket's song that sings out in the midst of smothering heat, reminding me that life continues on.


I am grateful that God has given me the skills and ability to pursue a dream. I am grateful for being born and raised in small rural town where everyone literally "knows your name"  and for parents who taught me the importance of confidence, the value of work, and how to treat others. I am grateful for siblings that taught me courage, like only siblings can. 


I am grateful for my mother's skills in "making do" with what you have. It taught me to appreciate my life.


I am grateful for the courage to take a chance, to step out onto untouched land, and to pursue my dreams.


And, I am grateful for you, dear reader, as you stop to share my day. May you be lucky enough to find a way in life that you love and may you find the courage to live it.