There it was, just laying on the sidewalk. Was it head's up? I had to get a closer look. Indeed it was! In my pocket you go, my little copper friend. Now, good luck will abound. After all, I am in Las Vegas.
What form of luck will it be? Will my lunch be extra tasty? Will the Cardinals beat the Cubs this afternoon? Will I win $1000 on a slot machine? Might I get laid? Difficult to say. I don't have that kind of say-so when it comes to superstitions. I just make sure the penny is head's up, and then acquire it. All the rest is up to fate, or Jesus, or something. The only other caveat is where the penny is found. You see, the more obscure the place that the penny is found, the better luck you'll have. For instance, if you find a penny in the dryer...that is not an obscure place at all to find a penny. The couch cushions, the floorboard of your SUV, your pocket. These are all pretty worthless places to find a penny and expect any luck at all. Maybe, at the most you won't burn your grilled cheese that afternoon. Don't put too much merit into these finds. Now, if you find a penny, say, in the middle of a clear stream, or in a field of wildflowers, or inside your son's diaper mixed with excrement...hold on, because you're about to get lucky. Just has to be head's up, or else it's all null and void. I most definitely am a superstitious type. At least when it comes to pennies. And baseball and fishing. And I'm sure a few other things. I always have been, and I've been a fairly lucky bastard so far in this life--with a handful of minor eff-ups with authority back in my not-so-caring days. But all in all, it's been a pretty happy ride. No complaints to speak of. So I'm picking up that penny, because the one time I don't it could set all kinds of backed-up bad luck in motion. And I don't want that. When I fish, it takes me quite a while to choose a hat. Most are good luck, but some more lucky at certain places. I used to keep a Good Luck Hat Log years ago--that's no shit. And it always makes me nervous trying out a new hat, but I usually have a feeling one way or another about said hat before I take the risk, so my track record is fair. When my dad and I take the boat out on Stockton or Table Rock or Pomme, we've easily had the best luck when packing a certain lunch that consists of bologna sammiches with mayo & mustard and a slice on individually wrapped American cheese on white bread, a yellow bag of Always Save rippled potato chips (Hiland French Onion Dip optional), and Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls. We always take one Swiss Cake Roll, crumble it up, and serve it overboard to the Fish Gods. Seems to work pretty well. When the Cards are playing, I like to drink Budweiser. Can or bottle--doesn't matter. But since In-Bev bought them out, I've found that Coors Banquet works okay. I'm guessing that's because I live in Colorado now and I'm American, just like the Banquet. I'm assuming fate or Jesus or whomever acknowledges this, hence the decent luck it provides. Certain attire works well, also. My Willie McGee jersey that wife bought me years ago works pretty well. Mustard stains, beer stank, and a fresh autograph from the man himself adorns this powder blue, unwashed son of a gun. It typically brings luck, except for opening day. I've yet to provide any luck for an opening day win. I cook often. I use salt just as often. Sometimes I spill that salt. Whenever I spill the salt, I make a wish and throw salt over both shoulders. I'm not sure what the correct protocol is for this--I'm not even sure if you're supposed to make a wish (mine is always that I hope I get laid). But I'm pretty sure you're supposed to throw it over a shoulder or two, so I do. Now, I don't necessarily see any immediate benefits in the form of luck. I never get laid after spilling the salt, but my food always turns out good. Shit, if getting laid was the result of spilling salt, I'd have salt all over the floors. Wife would not be pleased. I suppose all this has to do with optimism. Whenever I find that penny with Abe looking at me, it makes me happy and excited. Happy and excited because something good is going to happen, and that's always fun. Quick story: I was driving up to the mountains to fish the Eagle River one morning. Found the pull-off I looking for, but a car was parked in it, so I off-roaded upstream a few hundred yards to give this guy some room and find some new water. I ended up parking in a spot that had not seen cars nor people for quite a while. No Jeep trail, no hiking trail, just a clear shot to drive upstream in four-wheel drive without running into ruts or boulders. I get out of the truck to suit up and immediately see a penny on the ground right in front of me. This penny was half buried in the dirt and sand and grungy as hell, but I caught a shimmer off of it from the sun somehow, so bent down to take a look. I dusted the shit off enough to see that it was head's up. Wow, nice find. Fishing should be okay today, seeing as how I've got my lucky Eagle River hat and now this sweet penny. Upon a closer look, the penny was a 1974--the year I was born. I would bet this penny that it had been sitting there since 1974. In my pocket it goes. Later that day, after a stellar and more-than-satisfying day on the water that I was 100% certain provided by the luck of this penny, I get a voicemail from wife saying that our offer that we put in on a house we loved was accepted. This goddamn penny that I somehow found in the middle of the high desert along a river bed provided an amazing day on the water, plus the house that I'm living in eight years later. Fate, man. Or Jesus. Or something. Sidewalk penny in Vegas was generous, but not as generous as desert river penny. And if you're wondering, my lunch was extra tasty and the Cards beat the Cubs. Not the two I would have chosen, but I'll take what I can get. //re:
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AuthorI am Earl. Archives
May 2024
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