Last night as I sliced jalepenos for dinner, the burn from the juice trapped under my rings sent me straight for the kitchen sink where I couldn’t lather up fast enough and get them off my finger. It was then that the unthinkable happened. One of my bands slipped right out of my hand and took a nose dive for the drain. As I watched it fly through the air in slow motion and disappear under bubbles, a whole range of emotions poured over me. From shock and horror, to utter disbelief, to wondering if plumbers fish rings out regularly … only to calmly turn the water off, wait for the bubbles to subside, and discover my ring on the stem of the very jalepeno I sliced dangling precariously over the edge of the abyss. In the words of Mary Chapin Carpenter, “Mmmmm, I feel lucky today.” Indeed, I did! And, it really made me think, as we embrace our inner Leprechaun and decide which green outfit to wear this St. Paddy’s Day, that we all have moments of luck punctuating our time on the planet.

Admit it, we’ve all been “green” with envy before. It’s easy to compare ourselves to others when what we really need to do is evaluate our own good fortune. Life is complicated and full of challenges, and, admittedly, some face more than others. But, if you’re alive and reading this, consider yourself lucky. There, that’s one. Now, get busy and think of some more.

I’ll go ahead and say, in addition to the jalapeno incident, I’m lucky to be facing the upcoming second anniversary this weekend of my partner’s life saving breast cancer surgery in Houston, TX. What a scary time that was two years ago. This year we plan to celebrate with green beer.

Here’s another one. Friday marks exactly two months since we put our dog, Roxie, down. We miss her like crazy. But, boy, were we lucky to have her for eleven years. We’ll probably do a toast in her honor. With green beer.

I was also lucky to catch Mary Chapin Carpenter onstage with Shawn Colvin at The Knight Theater, recently. Talk about a great show. Which, may explain why this song is stuck in my head and the theme of luck resonates with me.

Or, it could the Irish in me (Scotch-Irish to be exact) and the joy of finding my ring. Either way, it’s your turn. What are your four-leaf clover moments?

For a full listing of local St Patrick’s Day festivities, check out our Weekend Calendar ^[1]. Whatever you decide to do, do it with gratitude. And green beer.

Robin Gibson is a writer living in Cornelius. You can find her blog at http://www.robingibsonart.com/blog.html ^[2].