Do you feel lucky, punk?

[Mucker1884]

... And if so, why?

I'll start...

As a Rams fan, following a club that has recently recovered from open-heart surgery... and also being able to wear a crisp white, floaty-light shirt to the match, on scorching hot match days. ?

As a father, knowing that the (grown up) kids are all doing well, are happy and healthy, living comfortable lives, doing what they want to be doing, in locations they want to be doing them in... and despite numerous hiccups along the way, including having me as a lone parent when they were toddlers, and yet they still turned out alright! ?

Being fifty nine and seven twelfths, and not particularly concerned about the pending Big 6-0, but still physically able, and most definitely willing, to:
Pootle out on our bikes for up to 30 miles or so.
Trek uphill and down dale, with rucksack on my back, boots on my feet, fresh air in my lungs, and fantastic views in my memory bank.
To load up the car and go off camping... proper camping, putting our own tent up... be that UK weekends/short breaks, or a full fortnight or more in France(the South West next month... Northern coast last June... plenty of other areas over the past decade), (Other Euro destinations are available, and still on the bucket list). 

As an employee, having a boss/job that allows for plenty of leisure time, non-counting of holiday days, no set hours etc ("Just as long as the job gets done"). 
Having earned just enough to have a paid-for roof over our heads, (albeit on a lowly council estate in a lowly suburb), a nice but nothing fancy modern, reliable car, Not give a second thought to stump up for another Rams Season ticket, and enough savings to pay for holidays as above... or something a little more mainstream (Costa apartments or similar), as and when the mood takes us.  

As a man, being able to amble around the garden topless in this mighty fine weather we are having... often with my hose in hand.
 

... And most of all, after 26 years married (next week)... +10 years prior to that, living very much in sin!... and still having that same true love, for and from the same good woman!  

 

So...

[Ram-Alf]

For me at 66 "Luck" has nowt to do with how my life has panned out, Both kids(46 and 41) are doing well, I have my health which looks to be going well, I walk/run 7 mornings a week, I do what I want when I want and who with I want, Luck is walking down the road and finding a fiver or slipping over and just missing that pile of dog $hit, She bailed almost 8 years ago, I divorced her 3 years ago, My life has moved on leaps and bounds, I'm happier with myself, More content with life(finances are good), Free of the constant snoring by her when on holidays...which were ducking horrendous through lack of sleep, The last 15 years of our marriage we slept in separate bedrooms.

I look back on the day of the 24th January 2015 against Chesterfield in the FA Cup as a day I was re born, I've had 5 lady friends all of who were/are smashing females, But, I found that for me being single suits my character, The wife I had was a smashing Lady, But 39 years together took it's toll on both of us...no not lucky just grateful    

[maxjam]

16 hours ago, Mucker1884 said:

As a man, being able to amble around the garden topless in this mighty fine weather we are having... often with my hose in hand.

For the neighbours sake I hope you've got tall hedges ?

Personally, I've been married 20 years this year to my best friend.  We have a 19yo doing very well at Uni, 15yo similar re. GCSEs.  All 4 of us fit n healthy.  We run our own business, have paid the mortgage off, work half a day and spend loads of time outside in the fresh air walking the dogs and doing the other things we enjoy.

I would like a bit more money (wouldn't we all!) but we made the decision to get out of the rat race a few years ago, live more frugally and start winding the business down - which might come back to bite us this winter.   But apart from that we're looking forwards to the youngest going to university in the next few years when we'll seriously think about moving to the coast.   Can't complain, doing a lot better than most.

[Tamworthram]

Being in the right place at the right time when the retail bank I worked for for over 30 years offered voluntary early retirement to people doing the job I was doing (Area Manager). Best thing I ever did as it got me out of a job I wasn’t really enjoying and allowed me to become a contractor (Change/Project Manager) which has removed any financial concerns we may have had especially because I was getting my pension as well as any contract work. I don’t think they’d do it now but the bank even paid for my Prince2 course and gave me a very small grant to help set up my business (not that I really needed a grant as I only needed a limited company because of IR35 requirements at that time).

I’d love to travel more now before I get too old but the far away places that interest me don’t appeal to my wife.

[RadioactiveWaste]

Have a decent "low ranking professional" salaried job for a good employer, found the love of my life 10 years ago, we have our health, we have a dog to look after, and whatever comes up, we have the stubbornness to get through it. Can't really ask for more.

Ok, fewer bams and dog s*** about the place would be nice....

[Wolfie]

Great timing, personally, for a thread like this. I'm currently under a lot of work stress (insecurity) at the moment and it's made me very irritable and snappy - mostly with my family.

I'm not going to list everything positive here but frankly, my fabulous wife of 10 years and amazing 9 year old daughter deserve better and just making me think and focus on the good stuff for a few minutes has helped me no end.

Thanks

[Mucker1884]

1 minute ago, Wolfie said:

Great timing, personally, for a thread like this. I'm currently under a lot of work stress (insecurity) at the moment and it's made me very irritable and snappy - mostly with my family.

I'm not going to list everything positive here but frankly, my fabulous wife of 10 years and amazing 9 year old daughter deserve better and just making me think and focus on the good stuff for a few minutes has helped me no end.

Thanks

A little bit of positivity/counting our blessings every now and again surely has to be healthy… physically and mentally!

personally I swear by such an approach. ?

[JoetheRam]

It's pretty much all luck isn't it?

Where and who you are born to, where you go to school, how intelligent you are, how attractive you are, who you are friends with as a child, who your teachers are, who you meet in pubs and bars, who you work with, what football team you get lumbered with...

Shouldn't give ourselves too much credit, nor castigate ourselves too much either, when pretty much everything that has determined our path to get us wherever we are today is out of our control.

On the basis of the above criteria I feel pretty damn lucky (but not as lucky as some).

 

 

[Mucker1884]

8 minutes ago, JoetheRam said:

It's pretty much all luck isn't it?

Where and who you are born to, where you go to school, how intelligent you are, how attractive you are, who you are friends with as a child, who your teachers are, who you meet in pubs and bars, who you work with, what football team you get lumbered with...

Shouldn't give ourselves too much credit, nor castigate ourselves too much either, when pretty much everything that has determined our path to get us wherever we are today is out of our control.

On the basis of the above criteria I feel pretty damn lucky (but not as lucky as some).

 

 

There is a lot of luck involved yes.  Can't argue that.

But we can choose our friends, who to "meet in pubs", and indeed which pubs to frequent.  That's all down to personal choice, which boils down to decision making.  (The phrases "Hung around with the wrong crowd", "Too easily led" and "They were a bad influence" etc immediately spring to mind.)
There are also ways for us all to "make ourselves more attractive", certainly spiritually, and with reference to personality/demeanour/outlook on life etc, if less so physically.

My point however, was to take a step back, and count our blessings.  Be thankful for the positives in our lives, regardless of number, intensity... or how they came about.

Just enjoy them.  They can... and sometimes do... disappear.

?

[i-Ram]

16 minutes ago, JoetheRam said:

It's pretty much all luck isn't it?

Where and who you are born to, where you go to school, how intelligent you are, how attractive you are, who you are friends with as a child, who your teachers are, who you meet in pubs and bars, who you work with, what football team you get lumbered with...

Shouldn't give ourselves too much credit, nor castigate ourselves too much either, when pretty much everything that has determined our path to get us wherever we are today is out of our control.

On the basis of the above criteria I feel pretty damn lucky (but not as lucky as some).

I know the point you are making, but it must be chance that you and I found each other. You are one of my favourite posters.

[JoetheRam]

45 minutes ago, i-Ram said:

I know the point you are making, but it must be chance that you and I found each other. You are one of my favourite posters.

Right back at'cha ?

[Chester40]

8 hours ago, i-Ram said:

I know the point you are making, but it must be chance that you and I found each other. You are one of my favourite posters.

Get a room....

He's no @Ghost of Clough

[1of4]

Do I feel lucky?

Is it luck that gets us through all the crap that live can throw at us?

Luck may have had an influence. I'll put it more down to shear bloody mindedness on my part, for where I am today

[ramit]

Winners luck is a thing, law of attraction and all that. Everyone knows it at least once in their lives, when riding a wave, everything works out smoothly, on the mark, in the zone.  Luck is not random.

[Crewton]

Yes, I do.

Hard work and some sliding doors moments which worked out well have contrived to put me in a very fortunate position. Without luck, fate, Kismet, Karma... call it what you like... I might not be here to recount this. I've won big and lost big, but have enough to see me and my family through the rest of our lives. Whatever happens from here, I really can't complain about my lot.