Eimear Hutchinson: I recently had a run of back luck that lasted a few weeks...

SOME people are born lucky and some are not. Once ever I won a prize in a raffle, in primary school in around fifth or sixth class, I won a ruler set and everyone booed because my mother was a teacher there, so they assumed it was a fix.

It makes me laugh now to think the only bit of luck I’ve ever had in winning was marred by such teasing.

In college, I remember noticing some people were just lucky; they landed on their feet constantly. I had one friend who used to literally never attend lectures, but he was lucky enough to be able to charm everyone into giving him their notes. He never failed an exam once, though I should give him some credit for being smart enough to succeed under such circumstances.

I wouldn’t call myself an unlucky person per se, but I would say I have to work for the luck I receive. 

I recently had a run of bad luck that lasted several weeks, and ironically it was the same chain of unlucky events that kept on giving. Sometimes, you have to wonder if the universe is trying to tell you something.

A teacher reached out to me at the start of September and, having purchased a Cricut for their school after seeing me use it, asked if I would help them set it up and show them how to use it. I happily obliged as soon as the time suited us both. I was on my way home and between Mallow and Castletownroche I hit an unavoidable pothole. If you know the N72, you’ll know it’s a busy, narrow road in parts and there was a truck oncoming, so I had no other option but to drive right on into it. It gave the car a bit of a jolt but when no obvious warning signs flashed in the car and, when it was safe to pull in, I had a quick check and thought I was in luck with no burst tyre.

I got home just in time to walk the dog before school pick-up, my husband was away (a point to note as this story unfolds) so I was rushing (as always). 

I gave the tyre another quick check and before my very eyes it was deflating slowly, the hissing of air emanating from the wheel another sure sign I was in bother.

Between the jigs and the reels, I managed to get to Mike’s Tyres in Fermoy (this wasn’t my first rodeo, although on my two previous occasions the tyre was so badly burst, they had to come to me so perhaps my luck is improving!).

When my new tyre was fitted and my pocket €75 lighter, I was pulling out into traffic on a wet and cold day and I spotted a neighbour from the village, hands full and heading for the bus. I was delighted the stars had aligned and my good deed followed by some bad luck could have the knock-on effect of another good deed. I brought her home with me and the world was right again.

My neighbour met me at the school gate a few hours later and very kindly rewarded my good deed with a lovely bar of chocolate – the perfect gesture of appreciation between busy mothers. I gratefully accepted and enjoyed the bar bit by bit as one does when demonstrating restraint.

Fast forward a week, my husband is away again, and I’m minding our four girls and the dog who has just come off a run of steroids for a sore nose. If you, or your dog, has ever been on steroids you will know your metabolism is all out of kilter.

On Sunday night, I sit down to my cup of tea and some chocolate, contented after a busy but successful weekend solo parenting between GAA blitzes, soccer matches, shopping, laundry and birthday parties.

On Monday morning, I come down and amidst the chaos of your usual school morning, I happen to notice a familiar piece of silver foil beside the dog’s bed; foil from the bar I was kindly gifted but hadn’t finished the night before. 

The opportunistic dog spotted a flaw in my preparation for bed and stole the chocolate without me even noticing.

Panic ensued, obviously! I checked online for advice which sent me into a bigger panic, I rang my husband who, from his bed in Paris, told me to ring his father (a retired vet) who said to ring our own vet, at which point it was 9am and they were open. I should add at this point our red setter was looking at me wondering what was going on because he was absolutely fine.

I went over and back with the vet discussing weights of chocolate, weight of the dog, type of chocolate and in the end got some activated charcoal just in case. It was during those moments, when I was trying to hold the poor dog’s mouth open to coax the thick black paste down; my hands, clothes, his bed and the floor covered in said black paste, that I did wonder about luck and who it sometimes passes by: me, from time to time, it would seem!