Honestly Lucky

I am one of the luckiest people you would ever meet. I wasn’t born lucky though, I live lucky. Staying positive and being honest is my foundation for bringing good luck. With that foundation, I also try to be aware of what is going on around me, the people, the wild life, the things that activate the senses, and even the garbage on the ground.

I believe that luck in a way is almost like karma. Over the years I’ve seen plenty of people drop money, wallets, or forget their purse. I would notice it and scoop it up. I am not going to lie; there have been those moments of hesitation and the instant thought of my own monetary gain. But I would always catch up and return it to its rightful owner. I’ve gotten mixed reactions from sprinting up to people and trying to return something. Most have that brief look of embarrassment followed by sincere gratitude. Some would look at me like I was trying to bribe them, stubbornly rechecking their pockets for the lost item.

I once tried to stop a woman in her car from leaving a parking lot without her purse. She had just left her parking space when I grabbed the purse from her abandoned shopping cart. I ran up to her car and she looked at me like I was trying to pull a grand theft auto and sped away. I pursued her with the purse over my head and she must have seen it in her rear view mirror. She stopped, apologized for her flight, offered me five dollars, and left.

A month ago I cashed in on my luck. I was going through the checkout at a grocery store and didn’t notice that I had dropped a one hundred dollar bill. It was folded up neatly in what I thought was a safe place in my wallet, but gravity prevailed and pulled it down to the tiled floor without my knowing. I was just about outside when an older woman came running up to me at a speed that was startling. She gave it back to me with kind smile, and I felt embarrassed for making her run and yet so comforted that I had it back. I thanked her whole heartedly, and she returned to her groceries.

That was a defining moment for me. It was a solid reminder of why I am lucky and how it feels to have someone selflessly help me. I don’t think that it happened by chance instead by the reciprocation of luck. I was lucky to have someone as honest as her behind me in the checkout line, and I’m sure she will have the same luck revisited to her in some fashion.