GOOD LUCK, ONLY IF SHARED

GOOD LUCK, ONLY IF SHARED

This week I want to share an excerpt from ‘Good Luck’, which I wrote along with my friend Fernando Trías de Bes. In it, I include the following reflection: we can only talk about good luck if it is shared.

I hope it moves you.

 

But things got difficult. There was no water anywhere else in the Enchanted Forest. Oh well, what else could we do? Sid was a sensitive person, so that combination of beauty, sadness and anxiety in the Lady of the Lake’s voice made him become interested in her problem, and see if he could help.

—And tell me, my Lady, why is it that no water comes out from this lake? From all the lakes water flows. From all the lakes streams or rivers are born.

—I… —For the first time, the voice of the Lady of the Lake came without any vague hint; it was a sad voice. It was a a voice full of pain. Because —she carried on— in my lake nothing is continuous. No new rivers are parting from me. It is only falling water coming over me. I only receive water, and no brook springs from my chest. So I must be aware that water lilies sleep so they can sing overnight. I do not sleep during the day to ensure the dream of water lilies and their songs do not let me sleep at night. I am slave to my water. Please go away and do not wake my water lilies up.

Sid then realized that what the lake had in abundance was what he lacked: a stream of water.

—I can help you, Sid said. But if you could tell me: Do you know how much water a clover needs to grow?—. The Lady of the Lake replied:

—They need plenty of water. They require direct water, water from a stream. The land on which the shamrocks grow must always be humid.

—I see… I think I can help you and you can help me, too!

—Ssshhh! Do not be so loud, you’ve awakened a water lily. Tell me how, please.

—If you let me dig a groove which parts from the lake, there will be a stream and water won’t accumulate in your womb anymore. I will not make any noise. I will simply make a furrow in the ground so the water is coming out of your lake. Thus, you won’t need worrying about water lilies anymore. You will be able to sleep whenever you feel like it. The Lady of the Lake seemed thoughtful. She agreed:

—All right. But be quiet. After that, the Lady of the Lake disappeared and left Sid absolutely amazed.

In a rush, he improvised with his sword a spade, which he hung on the back of his horse. He rode back to the spot he had chosen. As he rode, his sword created a deep ditch and water followed him, comig from the lake, to be liberated from its heavy load. The water came up fresh and new to the earth. Sid had succeeded: the land was waterlogged creating a live stream, which had never existed before in the Enchanted Forest.

He fell asleep near the space he had created. He just reflected on what had happened and he remembered what had always been told by his teacher: Life gives back what you give. Other people’s problems are often half of your solutions. If you share, you always gain. It was exactly what had happened: he was willing to give up having any water, but when he began to understand the problem of the Lady, he paradoxically realized they both needed the same, and that in just one action, both would win.

[…]

The knight Nott was in despair. Probably Merlin had been misinformed. Or even worse: the idea that Merlin could have deceived him just crossed his mind.

Nott felt really depressed. Up to three Forest’s creatures had already told him that he would not have any luck. He was so obsessed with that, he could not see beyond that idea. Indeed, listening to others saying what you already know, is how the evidence confirms itself. Anyone who, like Nott, is only obsessed with whether there are clovers or not in the Forest, cannot think beyond that. You cannot realize that you may have to do something about it. That was the reason why Nott was so dejected, felt like a victim, used and abused. He was in a situation he could not see any chance for success.

[…]

During the sixth day there, Nott was devoted to wander through the Enchanted Forest regretfully. He strongly believed he would not  find any clover, but he just did not want to return to the royal palace. Was he going to fail, he preferred sharing that mishonour with Sid.

Also, It felt so hard for him to accept his mistakes or failures that he chose to make others responsible for those. “I am the victim of a mistake or a trick by Merlin”, he kept on telling to himself.

The sixth day was the most boring of the few Nott spent in those woods. Although he managed to catch many weirdos and ran into strange plants he had never seen, nothing relevant happened.

The worst was this feeling that depressed him: he was convinced that he would have no luck in life. Otherwise, he had already found the Magic Clover. Unless, of course, that Merlin would have deceived him.

But if Merlin had, why not return to the palace? Why was he waiting for then?

Waiting meant he agreed with Merlin, and hoping to get lucky turned to result in assuming that luck would not come. What was he doing wrong? Why was he so miserable? “I am special. I deserve luck. Why cannot I enjoy it, if I deserve it?”, Nott repeated to himself.

And the day went on for the knight of the Dark Horse and the dark cape. As he had nothing else to do, he decided to go talk to Ston, the Mother of the Stones. He wanted somebody else to confirm what he already knew: in the Enchanted Forest no Magic Clover was ever going to be born. That he was not a lucky person.

No wonder Nott did that, as it is a curious feature of people who think they have no luck. They usually seek the ones to validate their view of life. Nobody likes being a victim, but it seems to help excluding someone, apparently but only apparently, from the responsibility of their misfortune.

 

The Fourth Rule for Good Luck

Setting up the circumstances

for Good Luck does not mean

seeking only personal gain.

Creating the circumstances

for others’ benefit

attracts Good Luck.

 

 

Kisses and hugs,

 

Álex

Alex Rovira