Have you ever walked by a fortune teller machine and asked yourself (silently, of course), “what if?”  And, if you are fortunate enough to find one of those machines that feature Zoltar – Whoa! If it worked for Tom Hanks…maybe, just maybe.

That might not be totally superstitious, but isn’t it the same premise as picking up a penny from the ground in the hopes that luck will find its way to you?  Or, lightly blowing an eyelash off your finger with a wish?  Or, tossing a coin into the fountain to bring yourself some extra good fortune?

I like believing in it all.  Adding a little optimism to the world and my existence.  With the crazy stuff that goes on in this life, isn’t nice to have a little trust in the hope that maybe something fantastically excellent will happen today?  I mean, maybe not, but what have you got to lose?

There are a plethora of objects, actions and/or signs that are supposed to bring good luck or might, dare I say it, cause bad luck.  I usually look for the good ones.  If I see a bunny on Easter, I say “good luck” to that.  The signs are definitely the easiest to appreciate, as long as you spot them.  Itchy palms?  Money’s coming.  Shooting star?  Make a wish. Butterfly in your house?  About to receive some important guests.  So far, so good.

Of course there are also the ones that you aren’t so sure seem lucky – like maybe they were made up because they are actually unlucky, but someone wanted the bearer to feel better.  For instance, bird droppings landing on your shoulder or meeting face to face with a snake?  Hmmm…not too sure about that; but, okay, I’ll subscribe.

Then there are the little things you can do on a daily basis to keep luck in your favor:

• Purse on the floor means money out the door – no problem, put your purse on back of the chair.
• Tug on a wishbone for the chance to have your wish come true – a straightforward 50/50 shot.
• Always say “bless you” after a sneeze to keep souls intact – that’s a nice simple gesture.
• Don’t open an umbrella in the house – come on, a no-brainer.  I don’t want to poke anyone or break anything, anyway.
• Always leave by the same door that you used to enter, to prevent bad luck from following you – easy enough.
• If you spill salt, toss a pinch over your left shoulder to drive away evil spirits attracted to the spill – left shoulder, got it.
• Don’t walk under ladders, but if you do, cross your fingers and spit through its rungs three times – umm, okay?
• Don’t break a mirror unless you want seven years of bad luck; but, in case of an accident, immediately turn around three times in a counter-clockwise circle, throw a pinch of salt over your left shoulder, hold the broken mirror under running water, and then bury the broken pieces under the moonlight in a cemetery – wait, now, what?

Yup, don’t be fooled.  The fates don’t doll out luck so easily.  What you don’t always know is that you really have to work for it.  Oh sure, you think you know the deal.  Find a four-leafed clover, hold onto a horseshoe, buy some goldfish and you are setting yourself up for success.  Guess what?  Not true.  As I’ve gotten older and more superstitious, I’ve found out that there are actually rules associated with luck.  Nonsense, right?  Who knew about all these rules?

So, if you want to do this right the first time, let me set you straight.  I am happy to share my luck knowledge.

First off, the four-leaf clover.  Well, apparently, a four-leaf clover is only a ”lucky” four-leaf clover if it comes from the white clover plant which you can identify if the leaves have white markings and one leaflet is smaller than the other three.

The horseshoe you find?  Some people say they are lucky because they were made of iron which kept away mischievous fairies or it symbolizes the horseshoe on the devil’s foot that guaranteed he would stay away from any home displaying a horseshoe.  But, don’t hastily hang it.  It should hang with points up (to fill with luck) instead of down, where luck can flow away; however, it is also said that a downward-facing one can cover you in good luck; so, this one is a little hazy.  I say go up, just in case.

Next, the lovely ladybugs – if one lands on you, the luck is coming.  Heck, the German word for them is glueckskaefer which actually means “lucky bugs.”  No problems there right?  Well apparently, the Asian Beetle looks just like the ladybug and those aren’t lucky at all.  You can tell the difference because domestic ladybugs are smaller than the beetles, have less white on their face, are more red in color overall and are less likely to try to get into your house to nest in the winter.  So, you might have a lucky bug, but you also might have a beetle problem.  But…if it’s a scarab beetle, you might be okay (so says the Ancient Egyptians).  And, to make sure we cover all insects, crickets are a sign of good luck.  In fact, if you kill a cricket, even accidentally, watch out.  Research doesn’t really say what might happen, but better safe than sorry.

Lucky Number “7” sounds good; unless you are Chinese, then the lucky number is “8”.  I say go ahead and pick something that is lucky to you as another option, then you don’t have to worry about being right or wrong.

Next up, animals.  Rabbit’s Foot, which to me doesn’t seem lucky at all, actually involves a lot of work.  It’s not just having a rabbit’s foot.  The original legend states that it has to be the left hind foot of a rabbit that is captured in a cemetery at night.  If you are out hunting rabbits in a cemetery at night, you need more than luck, my friend.  I say we dispel that one right away.  Besides there are plenty of other animals that bring luck.  Elephants are good luck symbols, but make sure trunks are up.  Goldfish are supposed to attract luck & prosperity, but only in a pond, not in a house.  Dolphins are lucky (at least sailors always thought so because it signaled land was near).  Lucky pigs are given as gifts in Germany to wish a lucky new year – they didn’t start making piggy banks for nothing; and, turtles are lucky because they live a long life.  Finally, tigers are lucky too because they are protectors, especially against being robbed.  Of course, when you open your zoo full of all these lucky animals, you’ll want to keep an eye out for that pesky black cat – he could ruin the whole thing.

Speaking of cats, keep a cat’s eye gemstone or Evil Eye amulet to repel the Evil Eye curse.  Heck, nobody wants that.

Of course, this is not all inclusive, so bring luck around at your own judgment.  Or, you can just ignore the rules and believe that if you deserve good karma, luck will find you anyway.  After all, think about all the years you heard, “find a penny pick it up, all day long you’ll have good luck” and then found out, that’s only if it’s heads up.  Come on, really?  Restrictions on luck?  Totally unfair!  Then it’s not really luck after all, is it?  #50Weeksto50

Final note:  I pick up the penny no matter which side is laying on – luck is all about believing you are lucky.  Then again, my lucky number is “13”.