Are you In Luck?

Is this a topic for a blog? I kept contradicting myself till I finally decided it was.

So here I am. Again I’m at a loss for words, and as the cursor moves on, I’m stuck where I am.

But the cursor propels me on, so the first question I ask the girl next door is, ” Are you Lucky”?

My young neighbour looks up at me and smiles, ” Of course I am.”

Expecting to write a tragic thesis on her life, I was stunned. ” Are you sure”? I ask her again.

Yes, I am, she replied. Am I dreaming? I asked myself

I see her and her husband slog for a living, and I wonder, ” Really,” I ask her surprised.

Startled, she replied, “Yes, I am lucky for I have all that matters—the love of my life and the food for living it up.

Here seemed to be a revelation which might unfold into the latest thesis of being in luck no matter what.

Inspired, I sat her down as she began.

“I got married two years ago, but within a few months of my marriage, my husband faced a crisis in his business, and all of a sudden, it seemed as if life had ended before it started.

In the beginning, I was devastated and questioned the concept of life, wondering when I would get relief from hardships.

Then I remembered my earlier days at the orphanage, where food was scarce, work was tiring, and I also remembered that I had tided over.

Living at the orphanage, we worked hard and went hungry most of the time.

One night as I lay in pain and discomfort, due to hunger, I decided not to fight it anymore. I saw my hunger and accepted it, ” Yes, I am hungry”, and I don’t know how to satiate it”, I told myself.

A ray of light came in towards me and the bunker bed I lay on, and then I saw myself on the bed I lay on.

Suddenly I felt we were companions, and together we could have a great night. So I told myself, ” Good night, sweetheart, have a wonderful night”.

Then, I drank a glass of cold water in a deft move and went into a slumber on the top bunker.

That was when I discovered a new world.

A world in my dreams. Maybe you could call it my body’s coping mechanism or whatnot, but this was it, sweetheart.

So every night in my dreams, I went to wonderland, where I lay under the open sky and stared at the stars, counting them as blessings. There was where I found Alladin’s little genie, laying out my favourite dishes.

I ate to my heart’s content and was satiated, and the next day always had me high on spirits, counting my blessings.

I had the bunk bed and it was exclusively mine.

Moreover, I was free to eat at no cost to my wallet or health, payment-free, and insured against cholesterol, obesity and diabetes.

So I guess today’s deal is what one can call being in luck.

Hardships seemed to have their value too.

What say, you dear friend?

I’ve become resilient and learnt to live life king size. For the grass is always greener on my side.

I was amazed and startled. I had nothing to tell her but only looked at her in wonderment.

Hearing her out, I remembered my mother’s precise words, ” Adversity has its advantages”.

They are not sour grapes but sweet ones if you realise them.

Then I look at my sister, Shilpa, who had five eye surgeries, two of them were cornea transplants, and faced with multiple health issues, smiling her way through all of them; a brave, kind-hearted soul, full of compassion and that is when I connected the dots.

It’s true, guys!! Strength is in the spirit to endure without it losing its essence. Resilience doesn’t come easy, but there are no odds when it does.

Looking at my writing, I wondered why I wrote what I did. Indeed this was not how I wanted to convey it.

This may not be what would generally be termed luck. But to me, it is to be lucky to be in an everlasting happy state of mind no matter what.

I wanted to bring out the factor of being lucky, having happy thoughts, attracting the correct energies, doing a lot of prayers chanting mantras etc.

They may sound nicer and more accessible than facing adversities that life has in store. But there are no shortcuts in the twists and turns of life.

Accept them, face them remembering their impermanence. They definitely are stepping stones to the path ahead, which is full of the highs and lows.

Friends’ life can be cruel and kind too, but lucky are the ones who feel blessed no matter what.

Maybe you would call it wishful thinking, but I guess when one has been pushed over an edge, the saving grace is a sledge, which helps you tide over.

The edge prompts a nervous breakdown, but to one who trusts, he sees the sledge at the edge and rests awhile.

Then as he regains his energies, a pathway opens up, leading him to a natural wonderland.