I’m pretty sure that in previous posts I have written a little bit about ‘gratefulness’ (my spell check is going crazy, but let’s just say if it isn’t a word, it should be). To me, being grateful means that I am aware of how fortunate I am, that I take a moment every now and then to recognize that luck can not be manufactured (in spite of what some of my favorite self-help gurus might suggest), and that in the lottery of life, I have won, big-time, even if those tickets I buy on a sporadic basis haven’t had the right combination of numbers. (Yet).

Most days I feel like I have won the lottery: I’ve got the house, the car, the white shirt – but alas, I’m missing the cow and the chickens ☹ (I knew I forgot something).

My parents recently came back from their annual migration to warmer climes, and I realized how lucky I am to have – as a grown woman – both my parents alive, alert and in good health. My son – who will reach the age of maturity this summer – is also blessed with good health, a keen mind and eye, and a trenchant sense of humor. In the health sweepstakes, we are winners. That is the gift I am most thankful for and aware of, and it is the one I thank God for every night. (Really.)

He’s happy too: he won the lottery and doesn’t have to worry about anything… just like Bobby McFerrin. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-diB65scQU

In the big picture – the one that really matters – being grateful helps you keep track: not of tangible items, but of those intangibles that (if you’re lucky) make up a balanced, happy life. You can be grateful for big things and little things: for a night of good sleep, for the scent of lilacs in the air during an evening dog walk, even for the fact that dog #1 doesn’t always pee on dog #2’s head during said evening dog walk. Most times, but not every time.

When you feel really lucky, a glass of wine is a nice way to celebrate. Come to think of it, even if you’re feeling unlucky, a glass of wine is a nice way to lift your spirits. (We’re big believers in the redemptive power of alcohol. So too is this fan-bearing lady in the Fap’Anis poster…)

I usually like to include a few video clips to illustrate the post du jour. I was looking for a song with the work ‘lucky’ in it but was unsatisfied with my results… (even I thought they were insipid, and that’s saying a lot). And then I stumbled upon this video about a penguin named Lucky and the ingenious way that Teva managed to … Aw heck, watch it yourself and see what being a lucky penguin is all about. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr5wwI2gvRI