Luck

What is luck, anyway? Do you believe in it? Is it random? Is it karmic? Does it come to you or leave you because you've been bad, or deliciously good?

Last month, the water heater & dishwasher at the house and my long beloved car all went *kaboom!* at the same time, which made for very interesting logisitics, (for instance, how do we get a water heater to the house with no car, when Lowe's delivers wayyy out here to Fleischmanns only every other Wednesday, the plumber can come Monday and we need to get back to the city by Tuesday?)

That very same weekend, we awoke at 4am one morning to the tippidy-tap of - what else - our roof leaking. apparently our "brilliant" fix to our miniscule - but now obviously significant - chronic waterway, which involves a plastic crate, needs to be emptied periodically. Who knew?

We thought that was lousy luck, but figured it comes with the territory of an old car and older house. We replaced the water heater, fixed the car, bought a new dishwasher and emptied the crate. (Goodbye, 2-3k there! And just when we'd started paying down that one credit card!!)

I made an offer on a house, which was to represent some future financial solidity. What a great deal! It was inspected (to the tune of $525). It has mold. lots of it. Among other significant and potentially expensive problems. That deal is currently in limbo.

The next few days, the ones leading up to our flying out of the country for a week, are when my dental work from a week back went awry.

Then Colin's camera was stolen literally right out from under our toes while were were sleeping on the paradise island of St. Maarten/Martin. Insurance would cover only $250 of the 3K to replace it. (Useful note - if your homeowner's insurance folks ask you if you ever use a stolen item for business use, say "NO!" Positively No! As if the photography "business" has ever made any money, or as if he never uses that camera for personal use! bah!)

We thought that was bad, but then Colin broke out in a rash from head to toe. I call it "camer-ation anxiety." Of course then it was Sunday when most pharmacies on the island were closed. Everyone thinks it's heat rash or sun rash. So let me get this straight; a boy grows up in Florida, to experience heat rash randomly at age 41? Now I'm seriously beginning to question this "luck" thing.

Then we came home. Four packages I need to make candles, etc. had been returned to senders, because the note on the front door telling carriers to deliver down the street seems to have been removed. (could that have been from the tornado which ripped through Park Slope last month?) On its way back to the sender, one of the boxes was destroyed by UPS and happened to be my supplier's LAST bag of palm wax until they get a new shipment. I am weeks behind on production for the holidays.

We've been home for 3 days, and today Colin's computer got a virus and, not surprisingly, I'm getting sick. I satisfied myself with a lukewarm, dirty shower this morning... now there's no water in the building and the toilet is - not how it's supposed to be. Thank the powers I'm home alone.

I was yet determined to be productive. Imagine my "surprise" when I got something out of the shelves (you know, those cross-grid ones from Target?) beside the kitchen sink and they alllll started tumbling down, the the little round thing which holds them together falling away next to the sink.

Imagine how carefully I supported the entire structure - all the way up to the things balancing across the tippy top - on two fingers, (veeery carefully, as one phalange was perched precariously on top of a long, serrated knife) while slowly removing objects from the shelves with my other hand, until it was light enough to lift one of the shelf walls where I needed it to be, then carefully picked out the round thing from the depths, reinstated it and reinforced all the corners.

Could it be considered *good* luck that I managed these acrobatics without complete disaster?

I sense a possible change in direction of the wind. But suspect we could use some help. A friend who's a witch has suggested I make a good luck herb jar (of course all my appropriate herbs are down the street with the lady who's sewing the wheat berry pillows, and she's out of town for another week.) You put these herbs in a jar, shake them, say this incantation and leave them on a windowsill every day. I tried reciting the incantation - really, I did -

To God and Goddess I do pray
Guide me through another day
Let good fortune come my way
Good luck hither now I say!

- but I think it could use some reinforcement. Anyone? say it with me now...