As luck would have it

I was born a white male middle-class American. That’s a great head start* for which I can take no credit. It was luck. However, I do get minimal kudos for not messing that up. I could’ve done more with it, but at least I didn’t end up in prison or prematurely dead.

So here I am, sixty-five and a half years down the road, thinking, “Man, I really am lucky. I discovered a way to live simply. I have shelter. I have a source of sufficient income. I have health. I have a lot of freedom. My time is my own. Too many people have none of that.”

Right now I’m sitting in my home, overlooking a dramatic section of the Pacific Coast, hypnotized by the waves, entertained by sea birds. For free. I’ve been doing it for days. And there’s nothing I need to do, no responsibilities nagging at me. I could keep on doing this. Or I could go to the mountains, the desert, the forest, the grasslands… all the beautiful places.

Because I’m lucky. So lucky. The kind of luck everyone should have. Luckier than I deserve.

*I think it's wrong that American society is that way, with white males getting the golden pass and everyone else getting points deducted.