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 I have never considered myself to be a particularly lucky person. I have endured my share of pain and loss and I have never made a fortune or even had my fifteen minutes of fame.
I have worked hard my whole adult life and have usually been able to carve out a modest but comfortable existence. As such, I have never put much stock in luck. Except for that which comes from a person's own hard work and determination. I have just never depended much on good luck. Heck, I have never even bought a lotto ticket... Not one. (I could never seem to suppress my public school knowledge of math long enough to allow myself such an indulgence.)
This morning I started a new horseshoe project for a man who wants to give his son something special on his wedding day. I decided that this project would be a good photographic study to add to the website, so after asking the customer if he would mind if his gift was ultimately displayed on the website, I selected a horseshoe and took it outside the studio to take a "before" photo. It was a beautiful morning. We had been blessed with a half inch of rain the night before so the whole world was clean and fresh. The birds were chirping and the squirrels were scurrying around. My horse nickered at me as I walked around the side of the barn to find a place to photograph the horseshoe. The rich smell of the damp earth mingled with the smell of cedar and damp grass. It was truly a heaven-sent morning. I found a flat stone to perch the horseshoe on and as I was photographing it the idea of luck was loosely laying there somewhere in the back of my brain. Then suddenly I was struck with the realization that I am the luckiest person I know. How lucky I am that I have the privilege to do what I do. I have had a lot of jobs in my life. Some were dull and boring and some were exciting and dangerous, but none made me feel happy day in and day out as the humble job of engraving does. I can honestly say that I am a very lucky man. In fact, I can't for the life of me, think of anyone luckier. Maybe tomorrow I'll go to town and buy a lotto ticket. |