Luck and getting what you need when you need it...

My niece Keri gave me this when I was still living in Charleston. It's for luck and prosperity, two things I need right now (the latter more than the former), and it hangs in my Austin home in the kitchen window.

It's the lucky charm I see while washing dishes or cooking and today it reminded me that we get what we need when we need it. I'm working hard balancing my time freelancing with my job search, hoping that the right job will come along, hoping that the Universe knows what it's doing, and hoping that I'm making the right decisions.

Everything leads to something and I know the time I've put into my job search, into my freelance work, into surviving on a daily basis, will lead me in the right direction. It brought me here, to Austin, for a reason. I started writing about luck this month because I caught myself wondering if I believed in all of these talismans I surround myself with, but realized they're just stand-ins for what everyone else calls faith. Reminders. Everyone has to believe in something, to have faith in something. I'm letting the Universe steer this ship. The lucky charms are just there to remind me to relinquish control. Every time I have, I've gotten exactly what I needed.

Luck and the meaning of life...

Way back in 2003, my best friend Mary Kathryn gave me this scroll with a"true meaning of life" quote by H.H. The 14th Dalai Lama.

It says: "We are visitors on this planet. We are here for one hundred years at the very most. During that period we must try to do something good, something useful, with our lives. if you contribute to other people's happiness, you will find the true meaning of life."

It currently hangs on the wall in my kitchen where I can see it every morning when I brew my coffee and every evening when I take my vitamins. I read it at least once a day, and it gives me perspective on how I spend my time.

I've experienced setbacks in the journey to find my own meaning and the right place for me. I've had great joy and inspiration, but also have had to deal with having tiny little bubbles of hope burst unexpectedly. And not only does it sting, but it also makes me question my own judgment. One of the ways I try NOT to deal with that is to be hard on myself, but like most people, I seek blame internally. I find myself asking what I did wrong, what I didn't do right, how could I have screwed up so badly, and worse: whats wrong with me. Spend enough time inside your head being so critical, and that voice just gets louder.

Separating yourself from that internal criticism, reaching out to someone else who needs a boost more than you do, contributing to the happiness of others, and putting the brakes on wondering what's wrong can give you a different outlook on what's right. I'm not always great at doing it, but having little reminders like this one helps. And having it because it was given to me by a dear friend who understands me well enough to know that I need that reminder? Priceless.

Luck and talismans, part one...

After realizing I've been living in Austin for a year and a half now and I still have no live plants inside my house (it's good feng shui to have growing plants in your home) because I gave the ones I had away when I moved, I finally broke down and bought lucky bamboo in a red vase. My first live plant purchase, which got me thinking about lucky objects, talismans, feng shui, and superstition.

I could have gone for a spider plant, a philodendron, or some other plant that's nearly impossible to kill. Even a cactus, considering I now live in Texas. But I went for the lucky bamboo. And as I placed it on my fireplace mantel next to my lucky Happy Hoi Toi (symbolizes health and happiness) that I got at LimeBlue in Charleston, a green candle in a Japanese bowl a friend gave me years ago, and close to photos of people I miss very much, I realized just how many lucky objects and talismans I have around my house. And whether they work because they work, or they work because I believe they do, I also realized that I am a lucky girl. I do believe we create our own luck, but that a talisman or two (or five) can't hurt, especially if they remind you of people you love.


Photo: Lucky Bamboo, Happy Hoi Toi, Lucky Candle, and my favorite photo of my BFF Mary Kathryn. A "quadplex" of luck.

I'm working with a theme this month, so this will be the first in a series posts about lucky talismans. Am I the only superstitious one out there? Do you have any objects in your home that could be considered lucky charms?