Luck of the draw

A friend of mine recently mentioned that lately she has been sleeping in until 8 or 9 AM while her husband gets up with their son. I caught myself just before I said something like lucky you. Her husband was recently laid off, so really her stroke of fortune is just a small perk, a sliver of something nice, to get her through a pretty tough time. I can relate to her situation, though my husband was lucky enough to get laid off a few years ago when the economy was a little more cooperative.

Another friend who has a son just a few months older than Little Guy recently tweeted from the hospital where her son was being treated for a broken femur. Lucky us, this hasn't happened to Little Guy, though I can think of a million times when it easily could have. Lucky her, it wasn't worse. He'll get the ridiculously inconvenient spica cast off in a few weeks, and the whole incident will become a testament to her resilience as a mother of five boys.

A few weeks ago, my grocery store had a sale on pints of Ben and Jerry's ( just $1.50 each!). This, on the same week I renewed my efforts to get that 7lb muffin top gone by summer. Just my luck, I thought. I bought some anyway and stuck it in the spare freezer, where my husband retrieves them and indulges in a lucky treat.

Really, the difference between a little bad luck and a lucky break is just a matter of perspective.

Today, I'll finish up my short story, one that I have now overworked like a piece of dough, and pray that it will still rise. I'll send it off, not really counting on anything big. It might not be a winner, but this week I felt pretty lucky to have something to focus on other than runny noses and requests for more juice.

Anyway, wish me luck!