23 Blind Luck

On 03/19/202303/19/2023 By Susan St.PierreIn Writing Prompts4 Comments

The mission of the African Safari was to photograph animals in the wild rather than having to observe them in a cage. Our lucky senior class photography club had won this miracle adventure in a country wide contest! No one would need to be forced not go as it was “all expenses paid”.
Once we arrived in Africa, the seven of us found it soothing to our apprehensions that our guide spoke perfect English. He had been educated in the U.S. even though he was labeled in the brochure as a “native”.
On our first excursion into the wild grasslands, we were overwhelmed by the single-colored environment. Everything was a variation of a sandy tan. Trees, land, even the sky, blended together causing us to have to add lens filters and wear eye protection to prevent a kind of ‘blindness’ that would interfere with us getting the ‘full experience’.
Our guide got rather annoyed along that first ride when he pointed out many hidden wild targets that we would have otherwise missed.
“Good grief, you guys! How could people who have such an interest in “seeing the World” be so ‘freakin’ blind.”

https://sundaywhirl.wordpress.com/2023/03/19/wordle-597/

Morning Dawdler 3/17/23 Looking for Miracles

On 03/17/202303/17/2023 By Susan St.PierreIn In my humble opinion...3 Comments

Rory asked these questions a day ago. It seemed a fun place to start the day.

Do you think being outside is good for a person’s wellbeing?

It is absolutely essential. When I’m outside, all my problems seem smaller. The immense beauty and expansive wonder of Nature (something I cannot fully explain) speaks to me. There are forces so much bigger than I. My favorite personal explanation is “It’s a place where I feel comfortably insignificant.”
Once when my granddaughter, at about 8 years old, was having a ‘meltdown’, my cure for it was asking her to go and sit outdoors. It worked. It always works.
I don’t consider it a distraction, but rather a reconnection.

How much of a sensation seeker are you?

This is a good one. I am a bit of a daredevil. But the path I take is usually testing my own limits. As an “eyes wide open” person when it comes to assessing physical danger, I don’t as often take safety risks as I test the “rules”. I think most rules are arbitrary nonsense. Remember the 6-foot distancing during the pandemic? Yeah…that one was actually an IQ test and most people were sadly scoring in the double digits. lol 😉

Do you believe in blind luck?

No. Since I decided to center my life around gratitude it has been even more beautiful. And to feel gratitude, one needs someone or something to thank. I am thankful to God for his grace and love. By finding that life direction which increases my perception of beauty and calm, I haven’t regretted the decision… and I truly don’t care what others think of it. Faith is absolutely a daily decision and no different from deciding what you’ll wear.
Since I’ve looked for miracles (I even did as a child), I’ve recognized SO much. It’s quite like the saying, “You can’t win the lottery if you don’t play.”

https://earthlycomforts.uk/2023/03/16/a-wild-aloha-to-you-27/

Luck for Dummies

On 06/22/201106/22/2011 By Susan St.PierreIn SideshowsLeave a comment

A gray squirrel almost got hit by a car this morning. I was looking out of my kitchen window and observed the whole incident. The key word in that statement is almost. As I watched the wild rodent, I saw him make up his mind to cross. Tail high and head down, “Peanut” charged. The oncoming vehicle was not in my line of sight. This smart fellow resisted the normal urge that squirrels have to squat and hide when danger approaches. THAT instinct is the one that usually causes squirrel traffic deaths. Sorry, I have no statistics but we all know that the number is large. This resisted moment and the final surge to the safety of the opposite sidewalk (just in time ), made all the difference. It made me consider that there may be some squirrels who become “street wise”. If this is possible, they are not communicating the knowledge very well among their brethren.

Since squirrel generations happen in months, rather than years, I might assume that “street wise” squirrels would have the surviving bloodlines and soon we would have them using crosswalks. This is not the case due to the “luck” factor. Examples of these variables are :

The drivers who watch for and brake for animals.
The time of day that “Peanut” chooses to cross.
The spinning of the Earth on its axis at just the right speed to afford “Peanut” an error in judgement.

So therefore, my friends, dumb squirrels continue to procreate and muddy the squirrel gene pool.

The “luck” factor is not prejudice, definable or evenly shared in this world. But, I maintain that it exists! Many believe it is the hand of God intervening . I’ve seen many things, bad and good, happen to the undeserving so I don’t believe that myself. Most folklore and superstition have roots in the tales of the lucky/unlucky. People from all cultures believe luck can be enticed to their side by talismans. So I am starting a new charity today.

“Rabbits’ Feet for Dumb Squirrels”

The motto will be,” Let’s give ’em a fighting chance!”

If you know any dumb squirrels and would like to donate please leave me a note. Thank-you and remember:” Just because you are dumb does not mean you cannot be lucky!”