As luck would have it

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

As a child, I could sometimes be found-- usually on March 17-- combing the grass in search of one of these elusive four-leaved beauties. Most of the time I ended up unlucky, only finding the most common three-leaf variety. Then, in an act of creative frustration, I would simply pluck a leaf from one to add to another. Ah ha! I'm so clever, I would think, admiring the leaves pinched between my fingers. But, I do recall one or two times where I actually found the real deal. Oh, the excitement! I would run inside to show my parents my green treasure, which I cherished for a day or two until my luck dried up-- literally.

Do you have similar memories? I also remember singing this tune:

I'm looking over a four-leaf clover, that I've overlooked before...

Just that one line I would hum, over and over, because I didn't know the rest of the words.

In honor of the day, I'll share a little clover trivia with you. As we all know, the four-leaf clover brings luck to those who find it. But each leaf represents something, too. According to legend, the first is for hope, the second is for faith, the third is for love and the fourth is for-- what else?-- luck!

It is estimated that there are about 10,000 three-leaf clovers for every four-leaf clover. Can you believe that? So for all those hours you and I spent hunting for our four-leaved Shamrock, we really were silly. But for all those times we actually found one, we were extremely lucky!

Hope you all find a little luck today, even if you don't find a four-leaf clover. 

And don't forget to wear green, lest you enjoy being pinched!

Oh, and one more thing:

Dear Mr. Leprechaun, 

If you could lead me to that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, that would be sweet!

Thanks a bunch!

Carissa

P.S. My brother, Patrick, always thinks this day is named after him. Nah. Nice try, though.

Photo by Joseph Roper