Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Where you born lucky?

This is the question that I got from an astrology website I signed up with a long time ago to get a free copy of my astrological chart.

Despite everything that has gone on in the past couple of months, I can reply to this with a resounding YES!

Here's how I've been lucky. First, I feel like I've won the lottery in being born when and where I was. I've been reading books lately about conditions in 19th Century London, and they weren't pretty. It was probably healthier to live in the country back then, but unless you were extremely lucky back then, it also meant endless labor from which there was no retirement.

Ah, yes, I am lucky to have good water, good food, safety, clean clothing, a good house. I am also lucky to have been born after all the civil rights struggles of my parents' generation. We may not have things perfectly figured out, but they have improved. I am aware that all these things would also not have been accorded to me if I had been born in another country.

I am lucky to be white in a country in which that is a dominant paradigm. This is not racist, in fact, I believe that being concious of my privilege in this way helps me to be aware of the racism that exists in our system.

I feel like I got the genetic goods in other ways, as well. I have great hair, good teeth. It may not be fashionable to be fat, but if I should ever be so unlucky to live through a famine, I'll survive longer than some - indeed, I'm less likely to die from cancer or a major heart attack (according to research which also says I'm more predisposed to these things...go figure), than skinny people.

And I have intelligence. I like being smart. I like to have my brain play sometimes and being challenged (if I can not get emotional about it) is fun.

I was never abused as a child. One may say that this isn't luck, but considering that my father was abused, I was (statistically) more at risk for this than other people. I had a good public education and was able to go to college and grad school.

I have been relatively lucky with getting and keeping work. I've never been fired from a position. I get along with many people and I tend to be able to pick things up quickly.

Even though I suck with finances, I have always been financial solvent. I do have a little problem with personal debt, but that really isn't about luck, so much as the sucking at finances.

I have always had close and varied friendships. I am interested in people and they seem interested in me. I have not always recognized this as the case. I have had the privilege to have many animal friends in my life.

Despite being a late starter, I feel like I've been lucky in love. I guess that it is a bit unlucky that he's now going through a crisis, but if all I ever get with him is those 2 years, I will still count myself as having been lucky (and recognize that he was lucky with me, too).

I now live in a wonderful place. The people are diverse and interesting. The climate is as close to perfect as you can imagine. I am within an easy drive from the ocean, lakes, mountains, hills, desserts, valleys...does it get better?

I have lived a lucky life. What about you?

5 comments:

shorty said...

I feel as though I haven't even begun to live.

Anonymous said...

This was a beautiful post - a good reminder for me to count my blessings :)

Anonymous said...

very undecided, yes i'm lucky to hae a good home and people around that love me, but then i also think i've had more than my fair share of bad luck over the last few years.

hhhhmmm...

ask me tomorrow and i might have decided!

Cody Bones said...

Good for you Spins,

Aravis said...

What a great list! It's good sometimes to recall these things rather than dwelling on all the things that have gone wrong, or are't right at the moment.

As for me, life hasn't always been easy- in fact it's been damn hard at times, and dangerous- but I still know that I'm incredibly lucky, and am grateful for the life I live.