Metal Meredith

For months now I have been thinking about ‘luck’ and what it means to be ‘lucky’.

People tend to use the term luck frequently and without thought. Everyone from the guy that found the front parking space in the mall to the Tsunami survivors are all considered “lucky”. I am not so sure I buy it.

Getting into the actual definition of luck and why I do and don’t believe in it is for another day, but today I just wanted to share something that I have been thinking about for quite a while. Once, on a show called Nothern Exposure, there was a story that was told by one of the characters regarding luck and the thought behind it.

Phil and I hear often that we are so lucky to have one another. I don’t see it this way. Phil and I have worked hard for what we have together and that is what people are seeing. It wasn’t a chance meeting that turned into a perfect relationship. There was some coincindence, lots of work, and many hours of really listening.

We were ‘unlucky’ that the Cadillac was lost in the flood, yet we aren’t paying all that money in fuel each week. Phil used the insurance money to quit his job and start Top Dead Center Design. It was just the buffer we needed to take the initial plunge.

Although these are the top two that come into my head when I sit and think about it, the little ones are there, too. The whole reason this came about was last Monday’s street cleaning on our block. Phil was running a few minutes late for work and was looking for his shoes. When he couldn’t find them, we remembered that they were on the front porch covered in mud from the day before. He opened the door and saw a tow truck pulling up to his car. Both of us forgot that it was street cleaning. I know it seems so simple, but Phil was mad that he stepped in mud only to have it save his car from being towed. Maybe its all silly coincidence, maybe its karma. I will tell you one thing, however, its not “luck.”

Enjoy the story below and have a great week.

Love,
Meredith

The Warrior and the Stallion

As told by Marilyn Whirlwind from the televeision show “Northern Exposure”

Episode 5.14, ‘Bolt from the Blue’

My uncle once told me about a warrior who had a fine stallion.
Everybody said how lucky he was to have such a horse.

Maybe, he said.

One day the stallion ran off. The people said the warrior was unlucky.

Maybe, he said.

The next day, the stallion returned, leading a string of fine ponies.
The people said it was very lucky.

Maybe, the warrior said.

Later, the warrior’s son was thrown from one of the ponies and broke his leg.
The people said it was unlucky.

Maybe, the warrior said.

The next week, the chief led a war party against another tribe. Many young men were killed.
But, because of his broken leg, the warrior’s son was left behind, and so was spared.