Good Luck!

Does your child feel lucky? St. Patrick’s Day, the Irish holiday coming up on March 17, is usually connected to the tradition of the “wearing of the green.” The holiday also involves long-held beliefs about what brings a person good luck. Legend has it that finding a four-leaf clover or witnessing a rainbow is a sign that our day, or even our life, will be charmed. The concept that there is such a thing as good luck involves believing in a realm where seemingly random occurrences can signal that everything will be going our way.

The most tantalizing St. Patrick’s lore is that there is a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow waiting to be discovered. Most cultures around the world believe that seeing a particular object indicates a flow of good fortune. But good luck symbols vary and include seeing a dolphin, a turtle, a “beckoning” cat, a horseshoe, or a falling star. The magic thread in all of these beliefs is that seeing one of these potent symbols aligns us with benevolent forces in the universe that help us to thrive.

One could easily dismiss these beliefs as superstitions that hold no value, but psychologists say that talking with children about the ways that they feel lucky can enhance their appreciation of various aspects of their lives. When children feel lucky, they usually take on an enthusiastic attitude about their day and have a good feeling about themselves.

The magic of St. Patrick’s Day or any other tradition that involves seeing magical possibilities in random events frames the universe as deeply connected with the individual. In Western cultures, we tend to see the world as separate from the self, while indigenous cultures see the self as interrelated with the cosmos and especially the natural world.

Waldorf education honors this view by including magical figures like Irish leprechauns, fairies, gnomes, and elves as part of their curriculum. They are talked about as part of a folklore but also as fascinating beings that many cultures have included in their descriptions of why seemingly random events occur. It’s more fun to think that a leprechaun mischievously hid your shoe than to merely think that you misplaced it. 

Talking to children about how they are lucky can lead to discussions about gratitude. If we feel fortunate, wouldn’t we want to share our feelings of abundance with someone else? If I see a rainbow, I want others to see it too. If I have more than I need, I want to give to others less fortunate. One fun activity for St Patrick’s Day is having each family member list ways that they feel lucky in their lives and ways they could help others feel lucky too.