This morning, The Muse woke me up at 5:30 and after writing this, I am likely to see if I can get a few more hours of shut-eye before leaping into the rest of my day. As usual, I peruse Facebook to see what is going on in the world and the lives of those I know. A meme that was sent out by Rob Brezsny, the author of Pronoia Is the Antidote to Paranoia, reads The Good Luck Club and invites people to join. I had an internal giggle going on, even at that hour. I have ALWAYS been part of it; in fact a charter member. Even when things haven’t gone as expected or desired, somehow I knew that they would work out in my favor.

I have long known of this tale that beautifully illustrates the flowing nature of the happenings of our lives. It is up to us to interpret and read meaning into them.

“There is a Chinese story of an old farmer who had an old horse for tilling his fields. One day the horse escaped into the hills and, when all the farmer’s neighbors sympathized with the old man over his bad luck, the farmer replied, ‘Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?’

A week later the horse returned with a herd of wild horses from the hills and this time the neighbors congratulated the farmer on his good luck. His reply was, ‘Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?’

Then, when the farmer’s son was attempted to tame one of the wild horses, he fell off its back and broke his leg. Everyone thought this very bad luck. Not the farmer, whose only reaction was, ‘Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?’

Some weeks later the army marched into the village and conscripted every able-bodied youth they found there. When they saw the farmer’s son with his broken leg they let him off. Now was that good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?”

Sometimes the experiences I have had that many would put into the ‘bummer’ category, such as illness, financial challenges, deaths in my family, losing a house in a hurricane, business downturn, relationships ending and such, have turned out to be some of the best things that ever happened to me. Perhaps I should reframe it to say ‘for me,’ since they brought lessons that I wouldn’t have gleaned otherwise, strengths I didn’t know I had, people that I likely would not have met and spiritual depth that I would not have realized.

Are you willing to sign up for the Good Luck Club?  The only dues to be paid, is the belief that we create our own luck with our thoughts and actions each day.