Luck Schmuck!

“I find the harder I work, the luckier I am.” Ben Franklin said that.

I agree wholeheartedly.

I don't like the word “lucky.” It's annoying.

The only things that have to do with luck are the weather, the radio, and poker games.

I am not “lucky” with potty training. Not one of my kids just magically took off their diaper and decided to never poop their pants again. It was my stubborn decision to stop buying, changing, and throwing away diapers. I worked at it like a job. It meant always being interrupted in adult conversation and getting up off my seat every time I got comfortable. It meant missing the first hot bites of a meal and trying not to lose my appetite for the meatloaf, while I was being the bathroom monitor...for the millionth time. But it was worth it!

Yes, I have good kids. There is no denying that. They are intelligent and capable girls. But, humans are naturally lazy. Who wouldn't mind sitting in their dirty little Huggies, when there are still toys to play with and raisins to nibble? Why move? Life is good, even if it is a little smelly.

They all told me I was “lucky” when my first daughter was diaper-less at fifteen months old. I was told, repeatedly, that it wasn't “good” to start potty training until after their second birthday. (Hm.) After my second one was going potty like a big girl at one year old...the “lucky” comments slowed down. When the third child was being taken to the bathroom as an infant, I endured the rolling of the eyes and the, “You've got to be kidding!”

I guess I made people mad. I didn't care because it meant one less pressed mess. After that the only comment was, “Just wait until you have boys.”

Grandma told me a story once and I just love it.

There was an old farm that hadn't been lived in for a decade. The fence was falling down, the barn roof was leaking, and the porch was all caved in. A man bought the place and began to work diligently on repairing all of the neglected damages. After a time, a friend came to visit him and see the progress on the property. As they sat on the newly stained deck, drinking a cup of coffee, the owner surveyed the place with a feeling of pride and awe. His friend was impressed.

“Wow,” he commented to the land owner, “what a beautiful farm the Lord has given you!”

The man was quiet for a moment as he thought about this.

“Yes, it is.” He replied. “But you should have seen the place when the Lord had it.”

That's how luck is. The Divine gift is the land, the weather, and the life energy that we are blessed to have and be a part of. The work that we have to do, to make it shine and radiate with glory, is the frosting of it all. It's our life's calling to make things shine and create beauty around us, with what we are given. A man can be gifted with wealth and squander it away in his excitement of being so “lucky.” But it takes meditation, thought, and determination to keep that treasure and to make it last and truly enrich his life.

I wish there was a potty training Leprechaun. I also wish there was a fairy that would come and do my dirty dishes at night. But, the truth of why I'm so lucky to have a clean house in the morning is because, instead of sitting down and watching a movie, I am scrubbing pans. And instead of letting the little girls watch another movie, I am training them to scrape their plates and grab up a broom after they each haul in the firewood.

I am blessed beyond measure with health and a beautiful place to live. I am lucky to have such beautiful people in my life to share it with. I breathe a sigh of thanks, constantly, to have children with ears that hear, eyes that see, and minds that thrive on learning. I am not ignorant of the Grace that this Loving Life has bestowed upon me. So don't get me wrong. I don't take a bit of it for granted.

But, I will not sit down on the ground and wish for more money or wish for a garden or wish for my bed to be made. I will pray for the strength, and the drive, and the weather to make it all happen. I will get up early in the morning and survey the list of chores. I will wipe counters and faces until the cows come home. And at night, when all good little girls are in bed, I will do a little Leprechaun jig and smile. One more day down. What a LUCKY woman I am!!