Lucky

I may not be a lot of things. But I'm enough.

My hands: worn and weathered. But they work.

I’m not Irish. But I’m lucky.

My Dad used to say; the harder you work, the luckier you are. That’s true in so many ways.

Like him, I learned the value of hard work early on. I adopted his work ethic along with his DNA. Growing up, especially in the summer months when we weren’t in school, you’d never hear us kids utter the words “I’m bored”. Nope. Not us. Dad would have a project at the ready to keep us busy, occupied and pushing the child labor law limits.

I’m not wealthy. But I’m rich.

I learned pretty early on the true value of a dollar and that wealth cannot be measured by possessions. My German grandfather, Opa, helped me appreciate that wealth was not something accumulated, but rather something you gave away. You never left his house without something; some homemade sausage or wine, vegetables grown in his garden or ½ loaf of rye bread just because he wanted you to have it.

I’m not beautiful. But I’m healthy.

It’s taken me 62 years to finally embrace the skin I’m in. I’ve spent the better part of my life trying to make my skin darker, my waist smaller, my hair blonder. A recent bout with melanoma has given me a reality check and scared me into wanting to take better care of myself. I’ve got a lot of living left in me. I want to be around to do just that.

I’m not educated. But I’m wise.

I only attended 2 years of college and never finished my formal studies in English and Journalism. Life happened and took me in other directions. I was fortunate to embrace a banking career that allowed me to continue to seek knowledge and learn on the job. After more than 42 years, I know way too much about things that would cause most people’s eyes to glaze over, but I’ve proven to myself that I can do whatever I put my mind to.

I’m not talented. But I’m creative.

I’d like to say that I came up with all my great ideas on my own, but the simple truth is, I emulate my mom. She creates beauty out of junk, repurposes with passion and has a knack that I can only try to copy. At 83, she inspires, encourages and continues to fuel my creative juices.

I’m not all that. But I’m enough.

I was lucky enough to marry, have babies and help raise our two sons into decent human beings. In turn, they have blessed me with grandchildren: the ultimate prize in the lottery of life. If you know, you know.

I may not be a lot of things. But I’m lucky.