You can be a winner if you try.

What I find funny about this is that I tore the paper when prying it out of the cookie. Also a little bit of this …

I agree, cookie fortune. The act of trying is success in it own right, true? But what to try? Why not just try almost everything? I could have the potential to win limitlessly, the only boundary being my own failure to try.

This fortune has reminded me of my favourite parental lesson, taught to me by my step dad – clearly the coolest and smartest man to ever live, he loves my Mum and she is awesome.  When I would ask whether or not he thought I could do something, or whether I’d be any good at any particular thing, he would always question why I doubted myself. He’d counter me by asking me “why not?”

Although I’ve never achieved massively impressive things in my life, at my thirtieth birthday I was congratulated for merely making it to this age, apparently my ability to continue breathing is amazing to some people.

But when I’m in a moment of desperation, of self doubt and borderline self directed bullying, my step dads voice pops in my head asking “why not?” His voice talking me through my first big job interview. And his voice saying “way to go!“ when I told him I landed it.

The sound is coupled with images of photographic quality of he and I building a chicken coup Mum nicknamed Palazzo Verchookie. Another of he and I digging up Mum’s back yard to landscape it the way she wanted it. And another of he and I rebuilding the decking of their house.

If I can be a winner if I try, good, I’ll continue to try. Fact is, with what I have learned from having a step dad like mine, I’m already a winner.

Lucky Numbers: 2, 8, 15, 20, 23, 32

15: the number of boobs Homer saw on the Spring Break episode of the Simpsons

23 & 32: it’s a palindrome