Written by When it comes to being lucky, our prompt for today, it really depends on how you look at life. Sometimes, the things that seem a bit unlucky at first can prove to yield even greater rewards in the end. For anyone out there celebrating St. Patrick’s Day today, I hope you’re having a wonderful time! We’ve not done anything particularly special other than hide from the crowds of green people roaming the streets drinking green beer. The annual St. Patrick’s Day parade was this afternoon and this city loves to celebrate. On the way to lunch today, we saw hundreds of people forming an undulating sea of different shades of green. In nature, these shades never clash, but the bright and often garish greens of the crowd managed to defy even nature. Impressive really. Best viewed from a distance. Since clovers normally sprout three leaves, finding one with four is considered to grant luck o’ the Irish. When I was a kid, I used to spend hours inspecting patches of clover in search of that elusive four-leaf wonder. It was truly rare, but occasionally, I managed to find one.
I remember once when I was very young, finding a four-leaf clover and bringing it back home with me, thrilled and giddy at my good fortune. Truly rare as I would discover much later as only 1 in 10,000 get that extra leaf. I rushed up to my room and closed the door. It was a euphoric feeling just to find one, but I didn’t know if there was a second step. Would all my wishes suddenly come true now, or was I supposed to focus on just one? I didn’t want to take any chances, so I closed my eyes like I was about to blow out candles on a birthday cake and made a wish. I would love to say that I wished for world peace or something perfectly altruistic, but that’s rather rare for a child. Instead, I wished for a unicorn. After making the wish, I immediately began to worry and was scared to even open my eyes. Where would it sleep?! We didn’t live in the country like my grandmother, but in a little split-level home in the suburbs. Would my mother be mad when she came upstairs to find a unicorn lounging on my bed? How big are real unicorns anyway and what do they even eat? With these thoughts racing through my mind, I slowly opened my eyes.
There was nothing there. Only my own rather terrified reflection in the mirror. And suddenly all the fears I had were gone and I felt relieved. Next, of course, I felt a bit cheated as despite the complexities of my wish, I still fully expected it to come true. Perhaps, I thought, there’s a bit of a delay with these things. So, I spent the following week glancing over my shoulder to see if there might be a unicorn following me home. There wasn’t, and I soon got distracted by other things and moved on. As I grew older, I would learn these beliefs were known as myths and superstitions. I would be told that they simply aren’t real. But, that feeling I had back then stayed with me and the memories of believing in those wild and impossible things are so vivid. They were real once to me. And I use them as a reminder today that I should never stop making wishes, even when they seem too big to even handle what comes next. So, yes, you’ll still find me scanning the ground as I walk through the grass, forever holding on to that hope of finding four-leaf clovers.
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About the DoodlewashDa Vinci Paint Co.: Leaf Green and Phthalo Blue. Lamy Al-Star Safari Fountain Pen with sepia ink in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book. Want to purchase a print of this doodlewash? Send me a note with a link to this post, and I’ll add it to my shop! |
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Love this story! It reminds me of the saying: “Be careful what you wish for.” While a owning a unicorn would pose logistical problems, I’d still love to have one.
hehe! So true!! I still want one!! Thanks so much, Sharon! 😃💕
Haven’t we all searched for that elusive 4 leaf clover at least when we were kids? I think the “luck” might be in actually finding and holding something so rare in our hands. Nice painting, Charlie and Happy St. Patty’s Day!
Thanks so much, Mary! 😃💕Yes to that… finding and holding anything rare is truly lucky!
Happy St. Patrick’s day to you, Philippe, and anyone else reading my post. Four leaf clovers are rare but a wonderful find. Your painting is exceptional.
Thanks so much, June! To you as well! 😃💕 So happy you enjoyed this clover!
Lol! I can just picture a Charlie shaking, with combined hope and fear, in anticipation of a unicorn appearing in his room. I like to think that there really are parallel universes that split off at moments like this, and in one, the unicorn did appear, and the two of you were off to many a magical adventure.
hehe… thanks, Sandra! 😃💕 ooooooh…. I love that idea! In another universe Little Charlie and the unicorn grew up together and had many adventures…. hmmm… seems like a story that needs to be written. 😉
Another project for you, since you don’t have enough to do already, lol!
I spent a lot of hours as a kid looking for 4-Leaf clovers. Love your rendition today and your fun recollections.
Thanks so much, Alice! 😃💕 Yeah, there’s something magical about the looking, even if you don’t manage to find one.
Charlie, your painting and story are captivating! I feel like the lucky one, to have found doodlewash!
Awww… you just made my heart, smile! Thank you so much, Julia! 😃💕 I’m so thrilled you enjoy it here!
Oh Charlie! The green of this lovely four-leaf clover is almost iridescent! Really beautiful! Like you I spent hours looking for these little wonders when I was a child, and still do on occasion. 😉 And wouldn’t it have been wonderful if a real unicorn would have popped up in your room?! I bet your mom wouldn’t have minded at all since they are supposed to bring luck! 😀 <3
Thanks so much, Sarah! 😃💕 The iridescence is from Phthalo Blue which I hardly ever use, but was only one of two colors I grabbed for on this one. hehe… I would have loved to have seen how my mother would have reacted. Bummer the unicorn never showed up. 😉
It sounds silly to say but wow, it’s so green! Great job of making it look special. A shame indeed about the unicorn. I know what I’m going to wish for if I find one – that’s right, a big bowl of ice cream. Though what’s that they say… be careful what you wish for? 😉
Lol… yeah, I only used two colors, but darn if that Phthalo Blue doesn’t pump up the magic! Thanks, Jacob! 😃💕 haha! You need to find one right away then… that big bowl of ice cream has to happen!!
What luck Charlie to find a 4-leaf clover! I looked and looked as a child, but never found one. Gee, I didn’t know they were supposed to make wishes come true……..I thought wishing on a star did that………lol!
hehe… honestly, I had no idea what “lucky” meant back then. I simply assumed it was related to wishes. Still not sure how four-leaf clover luck works, but it’s far more fun to simply imagine what might happen.
Lol, a unicorn is a great wish. I’m not sure what you would actually do with one, but that is not even remotely the point, now is it.
Exactly! 😃💕 One should never worry about what to actually do with a unicorn. Just feel lucky to have found one!
May life bring you many more four leaf clovers upon which to wish!
Thanks, Delores!! 😃💕 May life also bring the same to you my friend!
Unicorns are such magical creatures. I must have seen The Last Unicorn
at least a dozen times, but never with dry eyes. I think it is a sign of your
creative mind that you were worried about what to do with the unicorn when
it showed up. This was an extra special piece of writing. I was just going to
reply to one tonight and catch up on others one day at a time…I’m hooked…can’t quit now.
Aww you’re so sweet and encouraging!! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed this one! 😃💕 I still have fond memories of that unicorn that never appeared.