Lucky...

Photo by ME! of my boy's shamrock plant.

You know that saying, "The Luck of the Irish"? If you can believe it, yes, I am Irish... Ok, so, I am 30% Irish... You see, my mother is 100% Irish (her parents are from this little city called Cork, yes, in Ireland). My father is 50% Portuguese (from these tiny islands, the Azores) and 50% French Canadian (you know, that place above and attached to us and is called Canada - and when I say us, I mean the people who live in New England, but if you were my brother and his wife in Alaska, it would be more like that country attached and East of us)... So, that technically makes me 30% Irish, 10% Portuguese, 10% French Canadian and Ok, Ok, 50% Korean (you know, that cute Asian country South of North Korea, Westish of Japan and South Eastish of parts of China), if I got any of the locations wrong, I apologize - after all, I received my degree in Geography - but, I never really listened in class. ;)

Well, that makes me lucky enough to have "The Luck of the Irish". Don't believe me still? Awwww, that's ok. It's not really what you believe anyways, it is what I believe.

I do believe I am lucky. I am lucky because I was born. I am lucky because a family in America wanted me to be a part of their family. I am lucky because I was brought up by two loving, accepting, understanding, not too strict parents. I am lucky because I have four incredible brothers who helped shape me to be tough but sweet, smart but sassy, strong but dainty, and brave but sensitive. I am lucky for believing that blood is not thicker than water. And though the shape of my eyes may be different from my family, my heart is still the same.

But yet, I also believe it is not luck that got me here. It is just how it is supposed to be. What's luck got to do with it, anyway? No, I didn't say, What's LOVE got to do with it, I said LUCK... and as I had said before, it is all what you believe.

So let me ask you, What are your thoughts on Luck? Do you believe being lucky just happens? or do you believe that the choices we made were predestined? Which means, our choices really weren't ours at all.

Is this getting too deep? Because really, that is not what I am trying to do. I just want you to think about your life, why you may feel "lucky" or why you may feel that "bad luck" follows you wherever you go. Try to think about which glass you have, the half full, or half empty glass... That will determine your positive/pessimistic radar. Why, you ask? Because little by little you can make changes to your luck, just by the choices you make. Yup, I said it and I am probably totally confusing you, which I think I am confusing myself a little in the process too.

Ok, so let me explain. If you want to be more positive, have better "luck" how about training your brain to think about happier more positive outcomes. You can do it. It is possible. What is great about thinking positively, is that it is scientifically better for your health then thinking negatively. Okay, so I think I just made that part up. But there is no harm in being happy, is there?

So my homework for you today is - smile, when your face doesn't feel like smiling. Laugh, when maybe you want to cry. Say a kind word to a stranger, you never know the difference that may make to that person. And when you just want to cower in a corner alone, pick yourself up, realize you will never have another day like this one and move forward with your head held high.

Also, it helps in believing in yourself, as well. Happiness and your luck come from within, choose to be positive. Use your strength to make a difference in your life.

By the way, I am choosing to buy a ticket for the Mega Millions drawing on Friday, I am thinking positively and I am feeling pretty lucky, Just sayin'...