I’m participating in a new meme today over at Little Cheesehead on the Prairie called Free Write, five minutes of unedited writing on whatever we want. I decided to take the prompt offered this week to get me going so I’m writing about Luck.

Luck. I’ve always considered myself pretty lucky. I’ve had a good life so far, sure, with my share of heartache, disappointment, fear, anger, shame, illness, death etc, but overall, a good life. I was born in a happy family, with loving parents and siblings (some a hundred percent, some half, and now a few step), like most families dysfunctional in our own functioning way. I had good experiences in school, even though we moved around some, changed a few countries, several schools, many languages. Sure, I had my share of disagreements in school, with teachers, with students, but no major bullying, nothing to scar me for life, mostly stuff that just made me stronger, more resolute. We never lacked for anything, in fact, we often had more than most. My parents never spoiled us with fatuous stuff, I didn’t have the coolest bags, shoes and clothes, or the latest technology, but they bought me a new car at sixteen and I’ve traveled pretty much all over the world. Lucky. I got to go to Italy for university and met my husband and started my adult life, I would have wanted to move back to the US, but that didn’t work out… still, I have two wonderful children, a comfortable lifestyle in a rural community and a good life. Lucky. My husband got leukemia, twice, he had two bone marrow transplants and more chemo than I’d like to remember, but he’s here, we’re rebuilding our life. Lucky.

I don’t know how much of luck is luck or attitude, I try to have a positive outlook (though I’ve had some lapses, truth be told) but I’m pretty sure I’ve got a good guardian angel, or karma, or luck. Whatever you want to call it, I’m thankful for it, a lot of people get a lot of tough breaks so we should really try to appreciate our own good fortune.