Luck

Yesterday as I was enjoying a bowl of Lucky Charms cereal (don’t mock, they’re magically delicious), I noticed a new marbit, an hourglass. I was perplexed how a symbol associated with the passing of time was lucky, which got me wondering just how symbols became good luck charms in the first place?

I know, I know, I’m probably overthinking the whole issue of marbits, which, in case you haven’t figured it out, is what those little marshmallow bits in cereals are called and is little more than an overly compensated contraction by eliminating the “shmallow” between the two words and turning them into one, hence marbits. But on a more serious note, why would an hourglass be a good luck charm? Watch just about any movie or read a book that has an hourglass and it is invariably a countdown to eventual doom. Of course, this may be a good luck charm for the person who turned the hourglass over, and not so much for whom the sands fall.

Then there are symbols which have been known for thousands of years to be considered good luck charms that are now almost taboo because one culture twisted it into their own. Take the swastik for instance, the name of which translates into “purveyor of good fortune.” The Nazi’s turned it at an angle, added an “a” and perverted the good nature of the symbol, tainting the swastik forever. This Hindu symbol that represents the Lord of good fortune, Ganesh, is what makes it a lucky charm, but what about four leaf clovers and rainbows? What lore is behind those symbols?

Well, the clover has its own mystique in the fact that it is rare to simply stumble upon one. Celtic tradition says the four leaf clover protected them against evil spirits while the Druids considered it an omen of good things to come. Apparently the only thing lucky about a rainbow is that there is supposedly a pot of gold on the end of it. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never staggered across one and I’ve been looking at rainbows my entire life.

So what is it about an hourglass that is lucky? What would prompt General Mills to produce a new marbit lucky charm from a symbol that, well, isn’t really considered lucky at all? What would prompt them to create their own legend and lore about a new charm to add to their growing collection of delicious marshmallowy goodness laden cereal? I have a theory. They’re running out of luck, so they’re creating they’re own.

There is an old saying, “there is no fate but what we make.” Okay, so that is a line from Terminator, but it still holds some weight in life. If we go through life with a pessimistic attitude, we’ll probably miss the little things that make it pleasurable. But if we live it with optimism we not only will see the good, but create even more as that optimism spreads. I think I’ll take a cue from Lucky Charms and see if I can’t create a little of my own luck.