“I always thought I was lucky, but it seems pretty clear you’re the lucky one in our marriage,” I told Sera as she called to tell me she won a laptop. A few days ago we were streaming one of the final episodes of Parks and Recreation when her laptop screen began to malfunction. A column from the top of the screen to the bottom about an inch wide would flicker on and off until it settled on random lines of pixels which were primarily pink and green. Needless to say, we finished the show on my laptop.

Days later I found a tweet detailing a contest for a free computer, and I forwarded it on to my wife thinking she might be interested. We certainly hadn’t budgeted for a new laptop, so it’d be pretty awesome if one fell into our laps. One day later we were the proud owners of a brand new Chromebook.

This weekend we experienced luck in another form. After a will-they won’t-they back and forth, our offer was accepted on a house. Earlier we had been told the sellers rejected both offers on the table, leading my wife and I to feel pretty ecstatic that we were suddenly being reconsidered.

Luck is hard to pin down. Why is it that sometimes one person has all the luck in the world and another person can’t catch a break? Sometimes it feels like the lucky situations come flooding in all at once after a dry spell of unlucky times. Does luck really work like that, or is it all in our heads?

I’m a personal believer that all of this luck stuff is happenstance. Good things and bad things happen to people all the time, and sometimes it just takes a person looking at something in a different way to change their perspective. This is especially true today.

For the second month in a row, we’ve arrived at Friday the 13th. The superstitious will be at high alert to prevent any signs of bad luck from coming their way. Apparently between 17 million and 21 million people experience fear in the United States simply because the date says Friday the 13th. On one hand, I think it’s a ridiculous concept for us to change our plans for one day just because we’re nervous about it being unlucky. Apparently many people specifically choose not to fly on Friday the 13th and rearrange other commitments as well to put their safety first.

On the flip side, maybe focusing on being cautious every once in awhile isn’t the end of the world. International studies have revealed driving to be slightly safer on Friday the 13th, with fewer insurance claims being made. No real analysis has been done, but it’s suspected that more people are driving cautiously because of the superstitious date. Another legendary superstition causing bad luck, walking under a ladder, is probably a good idea to avoid anyway. I don’t believe something bad is bound to happen if I do cross underneath one (in fact, I have done it and noticed no consequences), but it is an easy way to hit your head on something that might not be the most stable.

Of course I have heard stories about bad happening on Friday the 13th. People lose their jobs, cars break down and accidents happen. All of these things happen on other days too. I wonder how much of the bad luck on Friday the 13th is psychological. When you see the date and decide to worry, you’re logically going to be more accident prone due to nerves.

Whether it’s your day for good or bad luck, I think it’s important for us all to recognize that both happen to us all the time. Some days you win laptops and other days you trip on the sidewalk. Keeping that perspective will hopefully balance out your nerves on days like today. And if you do have a crummy Friday the 13th, Saturday the 14th is just around the corner. I don’t know anyone who fears Saturday the 14th.

 

Rochester resident Matt Knutson is the communications and events director for United Way of Olmsted County.