Reeling Tyche

Reeling Tyche

The last few weeks have been full of car, um, situations. It’s been super interesting to me for one important feature, namely, I have felt extremely lucky.

On the one hand, it culminated in $800 worth of repairs. On the other hand, it could have been as much as $2300 if my shop weren’t so honorable, and thrifty. On the third hand, two of the things that went wrong could have been deadly.

I am so lucky.

It got me thinking about luck, our attitudes about luck.

I used to think that luck, like happiness and connection, came from outside me. I really did.

I thought that there was some force like, Tyche, the blind goddess who reels and staggers around whomping into folks and changing their lots in life. Some people always seemed to get whomped goodwise, and others always got whomped badwise.

Heh.

Turned out I was wrong. Again. I love all the crappy stuff it’s turned out I had wrong.

Luck isn’t a blind and tipsy goddess, luck is an attitude.

Why am I so fortunate? What makes things go my way? How do things always work out for me?

When I am all focused on how awful stuff is, that’s what I sort for, that’s what I put energy into, and that’s what I notice I’m getting. I start scanning my world for awful, I scan my body for aches, pain, and dis-ease. I scan my activities for draining, or abusive. Oh, yes, I do. And I am one unlucky sombitch.

When I start running Creative Questions that imply good fortune, things shift. I sort for good things. I seek silver linings, I notice how good I feel, I see nice things happening for me, I notice all the things I do that are fun or rewarding. I feel so blessed.

And the more I do, the more I do. Feel lucky, that is.

So it turns out I am my own lucky charm.

The day the car stopped dead in the parking lot, not on the freeway, not in the middle of the busy street during marathon celebrations, I had twenty minutes sitting in the car in the rain, to think about my attitude. I could easily have gone all pissy. My plans for my day were shot. I knew a new alternator was gonna cost.

And then I remembered that I had drawn the “Playful” card, and decided to have fun instead. And I ended up noticing how lucky I’d been, the rain cleared so I could do my errands shanksmare, and felt satisfied at the end of the day.

I am the only one who can decide how my life goes. Things happen to everyone. I decide if I will be beaten by them, or thrive.

How have I changed from wallowing in adversity to showering myself in blessings?

(c) Pam Guthrie 2013 all rights reserved 10272013