My Two-Cents: Luck of the Draw
I think a lot of things (maybe even most things) are due to a little bit of luck. There’s also some grit, skill, and all that jazz – but luck has its place in the mix nonetheless. It’s luck that when I throw my lipliner, lip stain, and lip gloss into my bag and hope that I’ll somehow stumble upon reapplying them correctly when I’m incoherent in the bar bathroom. It’s luck when I get a Hy-vee fortune cookie that I will soon stumble upon great wealth. And I suppose it’s bad luck when I don’t stumble upon that wealth. It’s luck when I wake up Monday morning and hope there is enough money on my plasma card to cover the late-cashing tips from my bar tab. It's really bad luck when I accidentally listen to Taylor Swift too much and she shows up as number #1 on my Spotify wrapped and I have to come out of the closet as a Swiftie. It's even worse luck when my roommates say they're going to print my Spotify wrapped and hang it on the fridge for all to see -- as if I thought I could run from my mistakes! It’s luck when we cross paths with people at the right times. More or less it's probably timing, but I think the two terms could be used interchangeably. It’s a recurring aspect of every field. Take 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy for example – the last draft pick and third string, who was thrown into the starting role after the timing of the injuries of two starters in front of him. It could be argued with reason that skill kept him here, but timing got him here. Timing is also the same thing I despise when I pull up to the Culvers drive-thru and there is a long ass line.
Timing could determine if you get the job or spot – the consequence of who else is applying at the same time as you. Timing could be the difference between getting pulled up from AA to AAA in the majors, and your later career trajectory. So what does this shit really mean? If timing and luck of the draw is a piece of the pie, does that take merit away from the other parts? After all, how am I supposed to be gung-ho betting on my odds when a large factor contributing to my odds is out of my control. I suppose the only true answer is to say Fuck it.
Fuck it. Timing is ambiguous, but ambiguity can also be auspicious. You kind of just have to bet on the odds that timing will be in your favor. A gamble in a sense. Just like you gamble in poker, or on the odds that Starbucks won’t have a line when you're running late to work. Or that you have money in your bank account Sunday morning! If you keep running your luck of the draw, sooner or later you’ll draw pocket aces at the right time. Or you won't, and you will also fuck up your lip-combo in the bar bathroom, but nevertheless, you will find a way to persist! ;)
Kate
