My life has an inexplicable truth about it. If I shop at any department store, 9-times out of 10, I’ll get a cart (buggy) that has one flat wheel. Nothing improves the shopping experience like having your forearms shaken like your jack hammering a sidewalk in Queens.  On the tenth outing, I may be spared the former, but now I’ll get a cart with such a high pitched squeak when pushed, everyone will think I’m a Goober. Don’t bother going faster, WD-40 can’t fix this train wreck. These occurrences happen so often to me, I can’t tell whether it’s a celestial patience prank or my ever present pebble in the shoe of life.

When I do have a moment to reflect, despite these nuisances, I know I have a good life. Sometimes I think God allows little things to chaff me so I won’t get too comfortable. I remember the story my Dad always told me about the man who had such bad luck, that when he bought a jacket, he additionally purchased an extra pair of pants just in case he damaged one pair. The day after he brought the suit home, he burnt a hole in the jacket.

I know we all have our own definition of the term mixed emotions? Mine would be getting a gift card to a steakhouse right after all my teeth were pulled. Yet some have even gone so far as say the best definition of mixed emotions is seeing your brand new sports car go off a cliff with your mother-in-law inside. Nope, I’m not going to touch that one!

You know, the Good Lord has blessed all of us with many things. So why is it we still want our life to have just a little bit more comfort? We want everything to go our way. No flat tires, no difficult relationships, no sour milk.

Recently the lottery surpassed $300 million dollars. The advertisement boldly stated, “Just Imagine”. I did. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that if I won, everyone would think I was cool and try to be my best friend. The truth is my newest friends wouldn’t like me because I was more handsome or debonair, it would be solely because I had become rich. My reality is if I had won and given all my  true friends a million dollars, I’d still have $299 million left. Okay that’s a joke.

Like in the movie Ground Hog Day where the same day is played over and over again for a hapless weatherman, I can honestly say I  understand the central actor. After one glorious day out after many repeats, he tells his love interest that no matter what happens tomorrow or next week, it’s irrelevant because he says, “Today, I’m happy now.”

For me, the lottery holds no importance?  I don’t have to win anything to “imagine” happiness, I’ve got it now! Besides, the only gambling I do anymore is when I eat at Taco Bell. So there world, bring on your mutant grocery carts, I feel lucky today.