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Are you lucky?

emw

emw

macrumors G4
Original poster
Aug 2, 2004
11,172
0
I ask this really only because of something that happened to me today. I suppose I should consider myself lucky, even though many might say it was an unfortunate event.

What happened? The hose connecting my washing machine to the water value ruptured today.

Why am I lucky? Because it ruptured while my wife was standing there - she yelled to me, and within 20-30 seconds I had shut off the water, so really no significant damage was done. Had it happened any other time - especially while we were out - the results could have been devastating.

The strange thing is, I'd just changed one of the old rubber hoses for a stainless steel one, but couldn't get the one that ruptured off because the end was rusted onto the valve body, which also wouldn't shut off. My plan was to replace all of that in a couple of weeks.

Of course, that timeline quickly got moved up, as I then proceeded to spend the rest of the day cutting out the old valves, rerouting the pipes so that the valves were more easily reachable (vs. under the laundry tub) and cleaning up the mess. So what was to be a day of relaxation was anything but relaxing.

Anyway, who else here considers themselves lucky for some reason or another?
 
I have wicked good beginners luck at lots of things I try.

Just today I was playing a new game of cards I'd never played before, called "2s", and I repeatedly shut down the other players...even though I had no clue what I was doing for the first few hands. Same holds true for my first games of Beirut...which are a bit foggy. But I did well. I think. :p

Good thing you saved your house from flooding...a neighbor down the street had a pipe in their basement rupture while they were out of town in the winter, and the entire basement filled up completely with water...it was flowing under the front door.
 
celebrian23 said:
I'm not lucky. I'm not unlucky. I'm neutral. Neither good nor bad things seem to come my way.
Click to expand...

Same here-usually. I've recently had some bad things happen to me such as a absess(sp?) tooth, a very bad case of poisen ivy, and getting a cold in July. I normally have neutral luck, however.
 
I am Lucky!

It's either fantastically good, or horribly bad. But it's always there.

For instance:
in 92 I fell over 100 feet while climbing in Loch Negar. (obviously I lived) And when I got the hospital I was doted on by 5 student nurses. And then I was taken to X-Ray by Bertha (I swear that was her name) who was easily 18 stone / 252 lbs, and had all the gentleness of an enraged and scruffy polar bear which she closely resembled.

[edit] totally forgot the other half of the story. About 2 days after I was up and mobile enough to walk down to Union Street in Aberdeen I was set up on a date with this really beautiful girl (dead ringer for Melissa Joan Heart). And she hurried across the street to give our doggy bags to a homeless man, and like an idiot I followed her and got clipped by a double-decker bus (which was barely moving but still). [/edit]

There are other examples, but that's the most dramatic. :D
 
Compared to some I am very lucky, I have a roof over my head, I have access to information, I am a fairly healthy person, I get fed, I don't have to worry about dying.. the list goes on.

Compared to others, I lack luck. I don't win PowerBook's, I don't run into amazing girls on the streets who will actually say a thing or two to me, I am not spoiled, the list goes on.
 
This happened to me at a very young age. Me and my parents came home, and the whole first floor was flooded. Luckily nothing was ruined, at least nothing that I can remember. The washing machine tube broke while we were out. Good thing you were there to see it.
 
OutThere said:
Just today I was playing a new game of cards I'd never played before, called "2s", and I repeatedly shut down the other players...even though I had no clue what I was doing for the first few hands. Same holds true for my first games of Beirut...which are a bit foggy. But I did well. I think. :p
Click to expand...
Is that a game that the 2 of spade trumps every card? If it is, I enjoyed that game alot.

I daydreamed often, there was once when I was crossing the road and didn't notice another car coming (I was in deep thought), the car missed me narrowly, went over my foot and surprisingly my foot was ok. That was good luck I guess
 
I'm very lucky in important things, and highly unlucky in trivial things.

I've got an incredibly supportive family, two wonderful sisters, great friends, a good head on my shoulders, a healthy body, parents that are willing to loan me a hell of a lot of money to go to college in NYC, two jobs I love, and an incredible boyfriend. How much luckier could I be?

But if I were to make a bet that I'd roll a 4, a 5, or a 6 on a regular six sided die, I'd roll a 1, a 2, or a 3 every single time. Not 50% of the time - every single damn time. Lee and I went to a comedy show when I was in Chicago in February. They determined how much you pay to get into the show by rolling 2 dice and then subtracting 1 from the total. I told Lee, I will end up paying 11 dollars to get in. What do you know? 11 bucks it was. Lee, the little bastard, only had to pay a single dollar.

e
 
emw said:
Anyway, who else here considers themselves lucky for some reason or another?
Click to expand...
I am very lucky to be alive and in one piece...

- Near misses (Starched and Rotary Wing)

- Eye sliced in two

- Close calls climbing and parachuting

- Numerous broken/fractured bones

Too many others to mention. Just happy to be among the living! :D
 
Normally my luck sucks, but once in a while I get some good luck. Like today, I was walking towards the cat box when I noticed a turd on the floor that I was about to step on. (My cat gets a little excited when she's covering her crap and inadvertantly flings turds across the room) So at the last second I turn and instead of stepping on the turd I step on the nice squishly hairball right next to it. Hairball trumps turd in my book. Talk about luck, huh? :p
 
Interesting stories - I suppose it is most important to have our health and security, and not to worry so much about the "luck" that brings other things like wealth or what have you.

I'm lucky to have a family I love, and who loves me, and I don't struggle day-to-day with finances, and I'm healthy. So what more can I ask for, huh? :)
 
NO

Infact I am constantly preparing for the worst case scenario in my career/home life. (Still happily married-no prob there!!)

I have the worst timing known to man. It seems I am 1 or 2 years behind in business (now maybe 10yrs), and seem to just miss a deal (making or getting) or am 2 years ahead of when someone wants to hear my deal (sales). I seem to stick with a dog stock too long, and too quick to sell a raising star.

I believe most people make their own luck (or lack of it) and am a victim of my own self inflicted wounds. Recently I have powered through some moderate times and have greatly increasing sales, my mantra is now..."You must be present to win." Meaning get out there as much as possible (today is an admin day). Some people may call me lucky but what I have achieved has been through great effort, not luck.
 
Yes and no.

There are things in my life I feel very lucky for and things in my life I feel I've been unlucky to have.

I don't know how you quantify good and bad luck. If you survive cancer and then get hit by a bus are you any luckier than the guy who just gets hit by the bus?

I'm lucky to have met some fantastic people in my life, but unlucky to have been in situations where I can't spend time with them. How do I score that on balance.
 
Although I don't believe in luck, I know a blessing when I see it. I am blessed to have the wife that I do, and to have a good full time job that allows me the flexibility to finish college while supporting my family.

I am also blessed with family, having my wife's parents and her siblings, and my parents and siblings all within 15 minutes of us (although it can get hectic at times, it is still a good thing.) Being 30 years old, I only recently lost my great grandparents, and both sets of my grandparents are still with us.

To top it all off, I have only been able to count up so far, but in 300 years preceeding mine and my wife's families, there has been no divorce. I know that can be hard on families, so I consider that a blessing/lucky.

I realize that life will not always be this way, and I try not to take these things for granted!

Where is that guy 2NYriggs, doesn't he always write bless at the end of his posts. When I see that, I (most of the time) think of these things.

//makes note to change washer hoses//
 
stubeeef said:
I believe most people make their own luck (or lack of it) and am a victim of my own self inflicted wounds. Recently I have powered through some moderate times and have greatly increasing sales, my mantra is now..."You must be present to win." Meaning get out there as much as possible (today is an admin day). Some people may call me lucky but what I have achieved has been through great effort, not luck.
Click to expand...

But what is winning?

True story. I went to an auto stunt show with my wife and they were doing a door prize of a 2 night vacation down in Florida and a 2 night cruise to the Bahamas. We had just gotten back from Florida. I was tired and broke. I didn't feel like blowing the next years vacation on Florida again. I told my wife that I wasn't going to enter because if I did, then I would win and I didn't want to go to Florida again. She told me I was silly and told me to enter anyway. I think she wanted to prove me wrong.

I "won". The cruise ship was crappy and we had to sit through a 4 hour time share presentation.
 
I'm lucky. I have no debilitating illness. I'm from a background which allowed/allows me to pursue further education. I have access to good food, clean water and secure shelter - most of the world doesn't have all three. I can't see that I deserve such benefits more than people who don't enjoy these things, so I must be lucky.

Unfortunately, luck shouldn't determine who enjoys these things.
 
I heard the other day that if you own a vehicle, you are one of only 8% of people in the world that own a vehicle.

If it was a true statement, it will surely put things in perspective.


(I will research the statement, and post link via edit when it find it.)
 
stubeeef said:
NO

Infact I am constantly preparing for the worst case scenario in my career/home life. (Still happily married-no prob there!!)

I have the worst timing known to man. It seems I am 1 or 2 years behind in business (now maybe 10yrs), and seem to just miss a deal (making or getting) or am 2 years ahead of when someone wants to hear my deal (sales). I seem to stick with a dog stock too long, and too quick to sell a raising star.

I believe most people make their own luck (or lack of it) and am a victim of my own self inflicted wounds. Recently I have powered through some moderate times and have greatly increasing sales, my mantra is now..."You must be present to win." Meaning get out there as much as possible (today is an admin day). Some people may call me lucky but what I have achieved has been through great effort, not luck.
Click to expand...

Your avatar is so creepy...:p
 
crdean1 said:
I heard the other day that if you own a vehicle, you are one of only 8% of people in the world that own a vehicle.

If it was a true statement, it will surely put things in perspective.


(I will research the statement, and post link via edit when it find it.)
Click to expand...

Half the world (three billion people) live on less than two dollars a day. That puts things in perspective also!

Have a read of this: http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Facts.asp . It should put this whole thread in perspective :(
 
When I first posted this last night, half-asleep, I wasn't considering the wider definitions of "luck" - living in a relatively free society, with access to generally reasonable services (healthcare, food, water, etc.) and with a good social support structure. Heck, even to have time and ability to get on here to post the thread.

I guess "luck", as with anything, is relative. I take for granted the, for me, normal things like clean water, air conditioning in the summer, heat in the winter, etc.

Luck is represented by getting "extra" things that you didn't work for, I think. For me, it's being there when the water line breaks, or winning a raffle with a good prize. I suppose I'm fortunate to be able to have that relationship with luck.
 
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