"I had a lucky day!"

I'm not sure exactly where or when the concept of "luck" finds it's way into the childhood consciousness. "Luck" isn't something we intentionally teach, but our kids have an awareness of it nonetheless.

The little ones learn from the big ones. Train-loving Bug will frequently say "I'm lucky" if we encounter a freight train, or he gets an unexpected treat. It's becoming a common occurance to hear him recount all the "lucky" things that happened over the course of his day, "I saw two freight trains and an ACE train at the crossing and I got to run a model train and we had ice cream..."

The little ones learn from the big ones, and today younger brother Boo who is more interested in other types of vehicles such as monster trucks, fire engines and motorcyles chirped "I'm LUCKY!" as not one but two fire engines passed by the playground.

It makes me smile that their version of "luck" is so uncomplicated and not greedy. I mean, most of us would consider ourselves "lucky" if Ed McMahon showed up on our doorstep with a big check from Publishers Clearinghouse, but do we really take notice of all the small events over the course of a day that remind us of our own good fortune?

I'm going to try to take a cue from my little guys and find bigger joy in those little, everyday occurances. Simple things like:

• A cup of tea that I get to finish while it's still hot.*
• Finding an item that I've refrained from purchasing finally hit 75% off.
• An uninterrupted phone call with a distant friend.
• The unrestrained laughter of my boys when they create a new game (and the sense not to go see what they're doing because that will inevitably spoil the fun).

When I look back over my day, I want to be able to say with the same enthusiasm I hear from my five year old, "I had a lucky day!**"

* This one is especially memorable today as it's the first time in nearly 6 years that everyone else in the family is either at school (Boo started preschool today) or work and I have the house to myself!

**With proper credit, of course, to God "from whom all blessings flow." For purposes of this post, the word "luck" is used to represent "happy occurance" and isn't meant in any way to overlook or understate the role that God plays in bringing good things into our lives.