Is it Luck?

I'm back!!!  I apologize for the LONG delay between posts, I took some time off from blogging to plan our wedding--which took way more time and energy then I was expecting.  But in the end was totally worth it.  So please allow me a quick gush about our wedding--which was just as we wanted, intimate, playful, and full of love and laughter.  From the sno-Kones to the s'mores to the swimming and dancing (not to mention the ceremony and vows we both wrote) it was a wonderful, non-conventional wedding!!!  To say the least I am thrilled to be married to my nearest and dearest and in the throes of newlywed gagginess.

A repeated conversation my nearest and dearest and I have is that I say "we are so lucky" and he responds with "it's not all luck, we work at this too".  It has turned into a playful banter conversation, but over the past few weeks I have been wondering about how much luck plays into happiness.  Our story is an amazing one full of twists and turns, yet somehow we made it back to each other (luck) and somehow we talked through and discussed all the twists and turns to get where we are today (work).  So much of our relationship is built on awareness, curiosity, checking in, communicating and being present all which some might say is work (but doesn't really feel like it at the time).  In short, we are very intentional about our relationship and about keeping it fresh, intimate and loving.  It is work and we are lucky. However, our lives are not perfect, we have our struggles as well, with serious illnesses, self doubt, neurotic tendencies, and just the struggles of daily life.  But we are intentional about those as well, intentional about grieving the losses, exploring the feelings of self doubt and celebrating the small victories we have in our life.

Similarly I think when we are looking at our lives from a big picture and looking at how to Live Happier and Work Happier, how to find a career that is rewarding, a relationship that is fulfilling and a life that is rich and deep it requires a sense of intentionality.  A sense of awareness and analyzation.  As I have said before this stuff is not easy.  It is not for the faint of heart to grab life by the horns and take the crazy ride but it is SO worth it.

So yes I believe some luck is involved in living happier, some of us are born into money or more loving and caring families.  Some of us get a 'leg up' when we enter the world.  But I don't necessarily believe that makes one happy.  The happiest people I know are from a variety of backgrounds, rich, poor, children of abuse, children of loving supportive families.  Their 'circumstances' don't make them happy, it is their attitude and their intentionality around life that make them happy.  It is the embracing of all that there is the good and the bad, celebrating with wild abandon and grieving with great sorrow.

But I am curious on your take...what role do you think luck plays in happiness?

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