What luck has to do with it: fridges, leaks and podcasts

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our fridge,
pulled out from its cubby hole,
ready for the repair guy
The other day the fridge sprang a leak; that’s bad luck for us.

It’s still working; that’s good luck — and help is coming.

We are several months within the 5-year limit on our extended warranty for the fridge; more good luck — that the leak happened now and not later in November when all costs would be ours. That’s great luck, isn’t it.

I’ve been thinking about luck ever since I got drawn into a podcast (SEA OF LIES) about a masterful scoundrel who swindled people out of money in both Canada and England. The story includes a body brought up from the sea in a fishing net, a daughter who posed as a wife, and a bunch of police officers diligent and persistent in their pursuit of clues and connections.

The story hinges, in several moments, on pure luck. I won’t give anything away, but will say that the meticulous police work would have led nowhere (or might have led elsewhere) without a fair amount of luck: The wrong door knocked on. A random comment about high-end wrist watches. Chance encounters that led to relationships.

The internet is full of quotes about luck, including these three — 

  • Luck = preparation + opportunity (I don’t mind this one, as opportunity is often beyond our control and lands on our desk unexpectedly; the question is, are we ready to take advantage of it.)
  • Luck is a dividend of sweat or “The harder I work, the luckier I am.” (Both quotes presume that effortful or persistent work will necessarily bring success; I’m not sure that’s true. If no opportunity exists for it, that brilliant idea will die a slow and sad death.)
  • Confucius said, “Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect.” (Hmmm; strength and hard work do not always end with the desired good outcome and a shallow man (whatever that might mean) could just as randomly purchase the winning lottery ticket as the less shallow man (whatever that might mean) behind him in line.)

The Canadian Oxford Dictionary describes luck as chance, as good (or bad) fortune. It describes chance as an unplanned occurrence. It describes fortune as chance or luck as a force in human affairs. 

In my view, and however we might choose to define it, luck’s impact in a moment or over the long term can change things big and small in our life.   

The story told in Sea of Lies would be entirely different if random, unexpected, unworked-for luck had not dropped into the work of the police investigators. They were diligent, sure, but that wrong door knocked on was pure — and I mean pure — luck.

What do you think about luck? Is it pure and random? Or is it to be expected by virtue of hard work or destiny?

No matter where you land on the meaning of luck, I encourage you to listen to SEA OF LIES; the terrific story telling kept me riveted through all seven episodes.

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HOUSEKEEPING NOTE: The fridge tech came yesterday, assessed the situation and solved the issue right then and there. A simple fix. Hooray! More good luck for us. 

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Land acknowledgement: I respectfully recognize that I live on the original lands of Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.


Comments

  1. Ann MasonJuly 22, 2025 at 5:51 AM

    If ever the surge of guests lets up, I’ll explore this concept more broadly.
    Or maybe I’ll go straight to String Theory!

    ReplyDelete

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