St. Paddy’s Day - “Luck of the Irish”
It’s March 17, so Happy St. Paddy’s Day, if you celebrate!
Did you know that today is a public holiday in Newfoundland and Labrador? I didn’t! (The more you know…)
I was looking up some famous Irish musical artists: Sinead O’Connor, The Cranberries , Enya, U2, Westlife to name a few.
Famous actors: Andrew Scott, Graham Norton, Liam Neeson, Pierce Brosnan, Richard Harris (who originally sang MacArthur Park - “I left my cake out in the rain…” )
The term “The Luck of the Irish” came about in the U.S. during the Gold Rush and the Silver Rush in the latter half of the 19th century, when many successful miners happened to be Irish and Irish-American.
Which leads me to today’s topic: Luck. Do you believe in luck? Good luck? Bad luck? Are some people luckier than others? When you experience any type of luck, how do you feel? and does your experience last or is it fleeting?
Last month, I slipped on some ice, my feet flew into the air, and I landed on my back. That was bad luck. Fortunately, I was wearing a backpack which, I believe, saved me from serious injury. My left arm did get bruised and I had trouble turning my arm certain ways. But, I also recognized that I could have easily wound up in terrible shape. So, in this case, I focused on the good luck and was very grateful. The was ironic (hello Alanis Morissette) that I was on my way to the doctor’s. So, it was a mix of good and bad luck.
Sometimes on weekends, we go grocery shopping and the parking lot is full; sometimes, we luck out, are at the right place at the right time and we see someone parked close to the entrance who is leaving. Bonus! We are very happy! Other times, we are driving in circles and there seems to be more drivers trying to park than who are leaving. Most times, we do not take it personally, and just wait or we sometimes decide to leave and return a few hours later when it’s not so busy.
Luck, for me, is random; it has nothing to do with being a good person or a bad person. I bring this up because some people believe that there is a correlation…kind of like karma. For example, imagine you’re in a location where there is a hurricane. Your house is the only one in your neighbourhood that was hit and destroyed. How would you like it if you heard one of your fortunate neighbours say: “It’s because we are good people that our house was spared.” I, on the other hand, try to put myself into other people’s shoes and have empathy. We do not live in silos. We have to try to get along together and have compassion. I like to think that we should all be treated as equals and I choose not to put anyone (including myself) on a pedestal. (End of Soapbox rant.)
