Floods, fires, tornadoes, terminal illnesses, and other ugly events have recently impacted the lives of more than a few dear friends. My heart goes out to them. Their misfortune reminds me  just how lucky I am.

Yeah. I said lucky. So I’m slowly going blind, recently lost someone very close to me, and am dealing with a diabetic chihuahua. There are far worse things.

So much good luck has fallen my way I consider my life to be charmed. Sure, I’ve worked hard, but — subject to change without notice — bad luck has mostly passed me by. Any adversity in my life has largely been the result of my bad choices.

I hit my low in the early 1980s. After getting kicked out of college for bad grades (twice) and despite working several jobs, I could barely afford a tiny one-room apartment. My car was out of commission and I had no money for repairs (but somehow managed to hit the bar six nights a week).

No matter how bad my situation, I was having too much fun to be unhappy. “No” was not in my vocabulary. More money would have made things worse.

Somehow, I turned out okay — far better than anyone expected. Friends from that low point in my life are amazed by how far I’ve come. Me too. None of us saw it coming.

I’m grateful for my good fortune. My life is better in every way than I ever imagined possible. I’m grateful for a satisfying and rewarding career, good health, and friends who have always been there for me. Life is good.