Blessed, They Say

 

I’ve been told that I am lucky, and that others are even jealous of my luck.

The kind of luck that took my parents away forever,

freeing me, they say, from the stresses of caring for them in old age.

The luck of having the children’s father care for his own kids,

while I keep running after the dreams I was once told I could not pursue.

The luck that took my womb

and blessed me with an early arrival into the next phase of life.

The luck that swept away my carefully planned future

and offered me the chance to begin again from the very beginning.

I’m told I have so much luck on my side—

enough to make others envy it.

And so I am thankful, truly.

Thankful for every blessing they see.

And still, a small, quiet part of me wonders

if I will ever find it in myself

to wish this kind of luck for them.