Luck: new version of hope in trying times

By Esli Ramos

As we travel through the month of March, a sense of reluctant celebration is in the air.

It is no secret that we are also celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. This holiday is far more than searching for green clothing to wear, leprechauns, rainbows, a pot of gold and shamrock shakes.

Maybe it’s because of the sense of hope it seems to bring. Maybe somewhere deep within us, St. Patrick’s Day represents a new beginning.

Spring waits just around the corner. We all may have our own way of “lucking out” on St. Patrick’s Day, but the one thing we all pray for, especially around this time of the year, is good luck.

There is no doubt about 2020 being the year of bad news on bad news. Trying to see any positive coming out of that mess is difficult, but that doesn’t mean everything is all bad and it’s time to give up hope.

We have found a vaccine, though there still seem to be more questions than answers. Is it really considered luck if we’ve had to spend almost a year completely upending our lives? What are the chances the vaccine even allows us to return to normalcy?

We could use a bit of luck. Something positive to focus on despite all the doom and gloom.

Sometimes it seems as if finding luck, hope, is easier for some and impossible for others.

The main difference within these people is that those who find luck easily, know where to look for it. Perspective is key, understanding that there is more to life than what you currently know is powerful.

Luck, though many of us would like to simply like to use it as an excuse, only works when we do. Mindset can change outcomes that would have never existed. Take an even closer look at your life and you will see how lucky you truly are.

The sun is still shining. The birds are still singing and life is still in front of you just waiting for you to experience it.

Appreciating the little, lucky moments of life can bond us better to ourselves and to others.

No one knows the exact day that winter will turn into spring, but if we just hold on to one another, we will one day look up to see that four-leaf clover.