Luck

Is there any such thing as luck? That was the hot topic over drinks the other night with fellow conspirator, Harper Wortham.  He argued that luck was mostly out of our control, much like the Greek view of fate, and that it starts with the very circumstances under which we were born. Are we born privileged, do our parents push us to college, are we naturally social and thus do we mingle with opportunity? That like a row of dominos, lucky events are laid out in the stars, and fall across our paths. I passionately disagreed, feeling strongly that we make our own luck with being able too see opportunity and acting on it. To me, luck is hard work, preparation, and then when a vague yet enticing opportunity presents itself, seizing it. When people like to say, wow, you've led quite a lucky life, I think, no, it's just inspiration followed by hard work. That's not to say I don't have little totems to help me. I always hold my breath driving through the the rainbow tunnel in San Francisco and I always rub the head of Mr. Moneybags (pictured) when I pass him in the NYC Subway. And I collect my useless pennies and place them heads up on the sidewalk when I walk around town, spreading the inspiration. We are all lucky, and as Wortham says in his famous play, this is all a House of Lucky.