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in Blog on March 17, 2019 by Sarah Powers

Looking For Lucky

This essay originally appeared in our monthly newsletter for The Mom Hour podcast. To get our emails, subscribe here. –Sarah

I have a thing for four-leaf clovers. Not the design motif that takes over the Target dollar section this month, but the real thing. I found my first one in high school while hiking with friends and have a photo to prove it–in it I’m holding up the tiny sprout for the camera, my eyes wide and laughing, my ponytail captured mid-swing. The four leaves aren’t quite distinguishable in the disposable-camera-quality print, but the look on my face is priceless.

Lucky me, it says. I have a boyfriend and a best friend with a pickup truck and the freedom to slosh through the spring mud all day with my friends without calling home to check in.

For a while I believed that I could find a four-leaf clover on command; if I stopped long enough to look, I’d find one. And it held true for many years–I stopped counting the number I’d found, but considered myself a kind of shamrock savant, tucking this obscure skill away with other party tricks like remembering the birthdays of everyone I’ve ever known or (depending on how late the party went) proving I could still do the splits.

The last time I found one was on my 36th birthday and I wasn’t even really looking. I glanced down at a patch of wet earth outside a motel room and there it was, a cheeky St. Patrick’s day surprise on my Valentine birthday, four miniature heart-shaped leaves in a not-quite-yet-spring green. It was so tiny that I had to take care not to render it ordinary as I pinched it for a photo (much clearer this time, thanks iPhone camera).

Lucky me, I thought. I have a husband and three kids and the minivan to prove it. And I get to spend my birthday in my hometown with my toes in the sand.

As far as the mystical powers of a four-leaf clover go I am, predictably, more of a realist. Finding them never seemed to inspire a series of fantastical events or even so much as a good hair day. And still each discovery felt something like kismet, as if that superfluous leaf was itself a little gift from the universe, more of a reminder to feel lucky than a promise that fortune would follow.

If you’re keeping track at home, I turned 39 last month, so that last four-leaf clover find feels pretty distant. I’ve had a bit of a dry spell, and it’s not for lack of trying. Violet has adopted my pastime and we kneel in the grass every so often to try our luck, smoothing back the soft growth like we’re petting an animal, watching blades of grass and happy weeds and leaf-typical clovers bend and then spring back to position, going back to their business after our gentle intrusion.

It doesn’t keep me up at night, but I do wonder when the next one will come along. The more time that goes by, the more my eyes wander to patches of clover and the more I wonder things like whether certain varieties are more likely to produce four leaves, or if El Niño winters lead to more lucky shamrocks. I wonder if I peaked early, if we’re each allotted a finite number of serendipitous bonus leaves and mine were concentrated in the two decades between 16 and 36. I wonder if my other party tricks are also pushing forty.

But the very act of keeping my eyes open for them has its upsides. I’m not usually one to stop and smell the flowers, literally or figuratively, and I’m more likely to notice details in a spreadsheet than in the grass beneath my feet. As a mom I lean way more librarian than mystic, so the very idea of combing through the front yard for a clipping of fairy folklore goes counter to my nature in the best possible way. Shamrock searches slow me down and allow me to notice; they bring me to my knees in earthy proximity to my still-little kids in pursuit of something that means very little but offers a whole lot.

Lucky you, they remind me. You have this moment and this dewey grass and these magical creatures whose childhood you get to witness every day. Lucky, lucky you.

I keep looking not because I believe a lucky clover will make a difference in my life, but because I want the life that lets me look for lucky clovers.

And when I find the next one, I promise I’ll let you know.

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Filed Under: Blog

About Sarah Powers

Sarah Powers is co-host and Executive Producer of The Mom Hour podcast. She lives in Santa Barbara, CA with her husband and three kids, ages 9, 11, and 13.

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Hear for yourself why The Mom Hour podcast is stil Hear for yourself why The Mom Hour podcast is still going strong after eight years, 644 episodes, and more than 15 Million listens! Click the subscribe links in our bio or ask your smart speaker to "play the latest episode of The Mom Hour podcast".

New episodes release every Tuesday and alternating Sundays all year round. Our archives have conversations about every stage of parenting from before-baby through launching young adults - and every aspect of motherhood, too.

#podcast #podcastformoms #mompodcast #parentingpodcast #mommypodcast #mamapodcast #womenpodcasters #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts #themomhour #motherhood
Do we call it a birthday or an anniversary? A podv Do we call it a birthday or an anniversary? A podversary? Birthcast? No matter how you slice it, The Mom Hour turns EIGHT years old on March 19!

Want to totally make our day? Leave a comment that tells us - in life milestones - how long you've been listening (i.e., "the baby I was pregnant with when I found you guys is now in kindergarten" OR "I have a middle schooler who was in preschool when I started listening" OR "I was on leave with my first when I discovered the podcast; now I have four kids!")

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Happy Friday! It's time for our monthly sponsor ro Happy Friday! It's time for our monthly sponsor roundup, where we thank our partners and remind you of their great deals. For our unique promo codes and links, just tap our saved "Sponsors" highlight or search the brand name on our website. Remember, when you check out our sponsors and use our links + codes, it helps support our show. Thank you!

We also collect ALL our active promo codes in our email newsletter - which is full of our latest episodes and blog posts, personal updates, community news, and more. Tap on this image at the link in our bio to subscribe today.

Shoutout to our NEW partner:
💰 @fearlessfinance ($50 off your 1st meeting!)

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Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast#podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast#podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
New episode! It isn't always easy to appreciate t New episode!

It isn't always easy to appreciate the mundane tasks of our daily lives, or to see the glass half-full when something goes awry. Inspired by yet another social media trend that had us scratching our heads at first (and then reflecting in spite of our forty-something selves), today Meagan and Sarah talk about situations from our own lives where we romanticized the hard stuff to get by.

Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
If you fill Easter baskets for your kids, do you g If you fill Easter baskets for your kids, do you give them a theme? On the blog this week @hopefulsmiles makes a case for themed Easter baskets helping to simplify shopping, avoid clutter, and stay on budget.

Check out Sandy’s ideas for themed Easter baskets by clicking this image at the link in our bio - she's got over 35 different gift ideas listed!

#easter2023 #easterbasketfillers #eastergiftideas #themedeasterbasket #giftsfortoddlers #giftsforpreschoolers #giftsfortweens #giftsforkids #eastergiftguide #eastertips #easterwithkids
"As a mom you’ve been building a youth sports co "As a mom you’ve been building a youth sports coaching resume for years," writes @twinningtheweekend on the blog this week, "You just didn’t know it."

🥎  Through potty training, you’ve shown incredible determination.
⚽  Sibling rivalry has made you the ultimate expert in team dynamics. 
🏀  You’ve displayed grit in the face of a stomach bug. 
🏐  Organizational skills? You keep track of all 47 of the elementary school’s dress-up days.
🥎  You’ve developed patience as your child has figured out zippers.
⚽  You are not easily intimated…hello science projects and fractions. 
🏀  You have a keen eye for what motivates your child. (Hint…it’s snacks and Bluey.)
🏐  Toddler temper tantrums are no match for your perseverance.
🥎  You folded 16 loads of laundry with a (mostly) positive attitude.
⚽  Multitasking? That’s your specialty. 

Raise your hand if you've coached a youth sports team as a mom! And click this image at the link in our bio to read Jennifer's tips for making it less time-consuming and stressful than you might think!

#youthsports #sportsmom #littleleague #littleleaguemom #girlsinsports #littleleaguemom #soccermom #baseballmom #coachmom
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Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
This week's podcast episode (out Tuesday!) is abou This week's podcast episode (out Tuesday!) is about worry. The worries we have in common, the ones that start to interfere with our daily lives and need addressing, the really specific ones and the more general and exisential ones. One thing we both know about worries is that silence fuels their festering.

If you're worried about something right now, feel free to share. Maybe someone else can offer a "oh, me too!" or send a virtual hug. Maybe you can do the same for someone else. And if your worries feel too tender to share specifically, feel free to just drop a 🙋‍♀️ and know you're not alone.

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