Dumb Luck

An acorn falls from a tree, hits my shoulder and lands at my feet. I have no choice but to pick it up and squirrel it away in my pocket because the cap will make a fine whistle and it seems to be good luck when things fall from the sky and plop on or bounce off your shoulder. Unless it’s a bird that falls dead from the sky, then you have a different sort of luck. It’s an honor to witness a bird’s death from natural causes.

You would also be lucky to find a penny on the ground that has the word God on it so you must pick it up, and even luckier to find a hundred dollar bill instead. But still you would be most lucky to have witnessed a bird fall dead from the sky, resting like a prize at your feet, because it is such a rarity to witness. 

In either scenario you should look around to see if anyone has noticed your situation of pure luck. Finding money can cause guilt for stumbling upon another’s misfortune and gaining something without earning. It actually puts you in a mischievous situation if you don’t speak out about your luck because you don’t want the next guy to say the hundred dollar bill is his, so you pocket it in silence. On the contrary, if you were in a large crowd and you see a sparrow suddenly fall from the sky and hit your shoulder, you should proclaim your luck immediately because you have twice the luck and you will live long and prosper. That’s what you get for seeing, being, and believing.

Now if that sparrow were a turkey then your luck has certainly changed. If you were in a field it’s your own damn fault for not noticing a turkey fly, but in a crowd? Let’s just say you have to wonder if someone is playing a sick joke at your expense and flinging free turkeys around like a gangster on Thanksgiving day. In that case you would definitely be in the wrong place at the wrong time and luck would not be on your side. 

This is just another reason why birds have a lot to teach us about being free. Not only because they can fly but also they are priceless when it comes to dumb luck.