Editor’s Note: The theme for this month’s issue is LUCK. Originally inspired by St. Patrick’s Day, four-leafed clovers, pots of gold, and other symbols of good fortune, now any luck we feel is complicated by the latest series of challenges brought on by February’s winter storm. Our heartfelt sympathies are with everyone who experienced hardship, and we hope that the promise of Spring brings comfort and renewal. We also hope that our contributors’ voices lift you up with their stories of how lucky we are to be in this community together.
We encourage each of you to keep up with the City of Arlington’s storm recovery effort through their dedicated webpage. Thank you to our City leaders for all they’re doing to assist our community.
Do you feel lucky? Well, do you?
Back in college, Amy knew a guy who’d say, “Find a penny, pick it up, and all day long you’ll have a penny.”
This used to drive her crazy, because every single time he’d utter it, he’d pause for laughter. The appreciative audience must have been in his head, because actual laughter was rarely a result. Amy’s typical response was a groan, a slightly-more-than-gentle punch to his shoulder, and a brilliant if not dated retort, like,
“Hilarious. Not.”
Inspired by St. Patrick’s Day and all things Irish, LUCK is the theme for our March 2021 issue of Sociability, and we’ve been talking about that guy and his twisted idiom. The thing is, Amy doesn’t remember him for what he said but for the number of occasions he said it. How many pennies did he find during the four years she knew him? Three? Five? Ten? The truth is, that guy found a LOT of pennies, yet his perspective on finding them never changed. No delight. No gratitude. No wonder. At the rate he was going he would have found hundreds of cents over his lifetime and never once noticed.
Thus, we begin to unpack the idea of “being lucky”: noticing the good stuff that already happens to us. In the book The Luck Factor, author Richard Wiseman addresses four main habits of lucky people, and the first is to “be open to more opportunities.” In the case of Wiseman’s research, people were given a journal by a researcher and told to write down everything lucky that happens to them. Simply by paying attention, subjects start interpreting more things that go their way as being “lucky.”
But were the subjects actually luckier, or did they just feel luckier? What if they had been asked to write down every conspiracy that happens to them? Or curse? Or blessing? Or miracle? In this way, you do make your own reality. If you look for luck, it’s there. So are conspiracies, curses, blessings, or miracles.
We say, let’s all look for the good stuff.
This month our contributors are offering you their unique perspective on symbols of luck, lucky breaks, Irish cuisine and culture, going green, and DIY projects.
What does it mean to be lucky or unlucky in business? Beth takes us on a personal exploration of how we really make our own luck. Meanwhile, we’re fortunate to have Larry takes us inside the incredibly important work of the Unity Council and what their recommendations, released on February 23, foreshadow for equity and inclusion throughout the Arlington community.
If you’re in the Arlington, TX area on St. Patrick’s Day or Spring Break, Autumn will show you how to paint the town green and Elena will share exciting Spring Break plans with her son! Travel with Tracey down memory lane as she recounts a special trip to the Emerald Isle with her mom. Speaking of green: Matthew McConaughey’s 2020 autobiography Greenlights gets three “alrights” by the multi-talented Lisa Farrimond, who has joined our merry band of contributors this month as a reviewer of books and inspirer of reading.
Ready to DIY? You don’t need luck, just a few step-by-step instructions. Lindsay is excited to teach you and your kids how to artful create your very own rainbow (pot of gold optional), and Kendall celebrates Pi Day (March 14) by exploring the art and science of baking pie. While you’re making that delicious pie, here are a few ideas for your baking play list.
