Sunday, July 1, 2007

Lucky, Lucky Me


I have a bizarre talent. I can find four-leaf clovers. By the handful. While walking and glancing down. (It's easier to stop and look. And squatting to look is too easy. Almost cheating.)


No, I'm not kidding.


It started when I was a kid, growing up in a small town in Indiana. I was often bored. Across the alley was a big, lush patch of clover.


Now I'd read about four-leaf clovers, and they sounded pretty nifty. So I spent hours searching for them. To no avail. I mean, I sat in that clover until my butt was numb and still couldn't find a four-leafer. Then came the epiphany: A four-leaf clover should stand out in the crowd. After all, it's different. It should stick out like the proverbial sore thumb.


Next thing I knew, I was finding four-leaf clovers by the handful. (Definition of handful: Two days ago I found 25. Okay, 23 were four-leaf and two were five-leaf.)


Today, I taught my nieces to find them. Katigan said, "I've never looked for them because they're impossible to find." So I explained the paradigm shift, "Look for the unusual. For the one clover that's different from the rest." Her younger sister, Makenna, was listening. Makkie found one right away. A few minutes later, Katigan discovered her first.


Here's the point: In finding four-leaf clovers, as in most of life, luck is where you find it--and it's all in the way you look at things.

4 comments:

Deb Baker said...

I'm reading "The Secret". It's all about positive thought. The idea is to throw good things out to the universe and good things will come back. It's worth a try.

Kathryn Lilley said...

What a fabulous talent! I used to spend forever looking for four-leaf clovers, to no avail. I will try your advice!
--Kathryn

Joanna Campbell Slan said...

Deb, Unity has been teaching that for years. I've read "The Secret," and I know it works. Think of how people react when you smile and act nicely versus when you're in a bad mood. It really is infectious. My example is simplistic, but even so...

Kathryn, let me know if this works for you! I bet it will.

Anonymous said...

People always wonder how I spot deer in the woods, hawks in the trees, asparagus in tall grass - you've discovered the secret - look for what's different - what doesn't 'belong' and voila - there you are.

--Regards
LindaB