Encyclopedia of Me Monday: L is for...

"You are such a lucky girl..."

People have been telling me that my entire life.

Lucky to be so smart, pretty, healthy.

Lucky to have such wonderful parents, husband, child.

Lucky to have cute dogs.

Lucky to have (two) nice houses.

Lucky to have a good job.

Lucky.

I don't dispute my good fortune. But occasionally I do feel anxious that it's all going to catch up with me, my luck will run out, and disasters will begin raining down on my head.

I'm acquainted with people like that, their lives plagued by one misfortune after another, as if the proverbial black cloud has taken up permanent residence over their head. Why is that? They're basically good people, who don't "deserve" the bad things that happen to them anymore than I "deserve" all the good things that have happened to me.

"You make your own luck in this world," my dad used to say. And I guess many of the good things in my life can be attributed (at least to a degree) to my own efforts. Hard work, clean living, and all that.

But still, there are plenty of people in the world who work hard, respect others, take care of themselves and their families, and seem to have the worst luck in the world.

I guess it's just one of life's unexplainables.

I guess I'm just lucky.