March comes in like a lion and out like lamb, or so I’ve heard. Because now it seems the lion has escaped to Madagascar, and the lamb just has a few extra teeth, not that you’ll find me complaining about it. If it’s not snowing, I’m under the firm conviction that it ought to be 80 degrees and sunny. Thank you, Mother Nature, for finally seeing it my way, if only for a week. Overall I’ve been feeling pretty lucky this March, except for Brandon McManus coming to steal the thunder on my half-birthday. That kind of thing happens all of the time, those pesky celebrities just popping up like walls when you least expect them. Besides, if that meant someone else could feel incredibly lucky for 24 hours, meeting his idol and feeling happy to be alive, then I don’t mind sharing. Just please make sure you spread it around for others, not like the plague, mind you, but like pixie dust – a little bit of luck goes a long way.

Why is March such a lucky month anyway? I can point out the obvious because it’s happening this week. Now, we’re no longer in kindergarten, so this year you may accidentally let St. Patty’s Day slip by because you’re suddenly lacking the paper hat proudly declaring that “O’(insert last name here)” is Irish for a day. This is perfectly understandable, so consider this your friendly neighborhood columnist reminding all of you that St. Patrick’s Day is the 17^th. That’s Thursday for those of you that dislike numbers. I bet most of you didn’t even know St. Patrick was British, but he was one lucky dude. I don’t know anybody that would escape his captors only to return to the same place as a missionary, but there you have it. He’s considered responsible for spreading Christianity throughout Ireland, which is where three and four leafed clovers come into play. The three-leafers taught pagans about the trinity, while the four-leafers were really special. Each leaf symbolized love, hope, and faith, with that last leaf symbolizing luck. Natural anomaly just didn’t have as nice a ring to it.

Ironically though, the Irish weren’t dealt a very lucky hand in history, what with famine, disease, and discrimination. The infamous luck of Irish can be attributed to their uncanny ability for finding the most silver and gold during the gold rush years in the U.S. Fitting, since some of the luckiest creatures in folklore have Irish backgrounds. Leprechauns are considered ornery little pixies that horde treasure, but I’d be constantly irritated too if people hunted me for three wishes without a decent conversation first.

But for the mathematically inclined over the magically, Murphy’s Law does a nice job of explaining the concept of luck as well. The law simply states that anything that can go wrong, will, and I’m sure the people who believe the world is out to get them are cringing at the familiarity of it. Call it karma or whatever you want, but when you spend most of your time bracing yourself for something bad to happen, but it’s replaced by something good, you have to admit sometimes luck is more than a feeling.

I hope you all feel extra lucky this week, North Penn. But just in case, I’ll turn upright my horseshoes, unpack the rabbit feet, and only pick up spare change if I can see Abe’s smiling face. The things I do for all you… Happy St. Patty’s Day, and I’ll see you all next week.