Storytime: Bad luck, good luck, coincidence?

Some days are calm and sombre whilst other days are full of activities and excitement. No two days are the same. Yesterday the sun hid behind the clouds but after noon it brightened up. Beautiful weather or not - I started off yesterday with a pleasant meeting in a charming cafe. After 1 1/2 hours I returned home. Somewhat later, the sun was shining in its full glory and the mood in my household brightened up but not only because of the sun. Why? In order to tell you the full story, I need to go back to last week Tuesday, 4 March 2025.

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It was late afternoon when my son, M, left home for an appointment near the city centre. He went to his bicycle and discovered that the tire was flat. He had to make a quick decision because he was alone at home and his sister was still at school with the only other functioning bicycle. It would be either the metro or walking. He realised that the metro would not be helpful based on the appointment location - so he decided to walk.

Whilst returning home, M felt something fall on his head. It was not heavy, so he was not alarmed but it was clear that something was in his hair. Instinctively, he looked up but he saw nothing and no one. He was not close to the bare, leafless trees lining the sidewalks where birds still perched but he knew it was from a bird, therefore he had bird poop in his hair.

M called me and said, "Mommy, I think a bird just pooped on my head."
I responded, "Well you either know for sure or you don't." We both chuckled together.
M said, "I am not going to touch my head to find out - but I will be home shortly."

S, his younger sister, was already home. She exclaimed after hearing the news, "That's gross. I hope that never happens to me."

Upon arriving home, M tried to open the front door but the key got stuck in the lock and wouldn't open. I open the door from inside. All attention was on the lock and key. Luckily, I could get it out of the door without the need for a locksmith. First it was his bicycle, then the bird poop, now the key; M felt he was having a lot of bad luck. Surely nothing else could go wrong.

After the key issue was solved, our attention turned to M's hair. He has a full head of mid-length curls. It's a contrast to the shorter curly styles that I used to cut for him. Yes - I've been his barber since birth. He has only been to a professional once in his life, on January 12, 2024, for a buzz cut or fade. That been said, I was expecting a bunch of curls, all ladened with the excrement of our feather friends. It was actually not too bad but still it was quite a blob. It wasn’t immediately obvious as it literally sat at the top of his head. We had to laugh about it - s*** does happen😀. S refused to look. We both expected M to immediately head to the bathroom to wash his hair but instead he remarked,
"Isn't it said that when a bird poops on your head it brings good luck?"

I told him that I had heard it said before but it is just another superstition. M decided to “google” it. He found a story of a man who won the lottery thereafter. I told him that I guess the odds of a bird pooping on your head and that of winning the lottery are about the same - so who knows.

M said he was going to buy a lottery ticket. We all thought the idea was funny because M has never bought a lottery ticket before. He said he was out of pocket money. I decided to indulge him - I transferred 20 euros into his bank account and he left immediately. S and I realised that he was really serious - we couldn’t believe it. However, it fitted M’s character – he can be very spontaneous.
Then I thought, “Hmmm, the bird did not poop on his clothes or elsewhere on his body - it is smack on the top of his head. Maybe he will be lucky.”

After M returned, he used a thumb tack to pin the envelope to the bulletin board near the pantry.

ticket with envelope

M told us that the lady in the shop realised that he had never bought a lottery ticket before. She asked the following:
-his age and requested his ID as he needed to be at least 18 years old.
-whether he wanted to choose the last 2 digits of the number. He said No.
-whether he wanted a full ticket or a half. M bought a full one – it cost 20 euros.

M said he felt that suddenly the area around the cashier was full with people but the lady was not in a hurry; she was very patient and kind. She placed the ticket in the requisite envelope, handed it to him and wished him good luck. He said thank you and left.

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That was last week Tuesday.
Let's fast forward to yesterday, Wednesday March 11. After returning from my meeting – I noticed the envelope was still there on the bulletin board. The lottery drawing was the day before on March 10. It appears we had all forgotten about the lottery ticket. I decided to check it and then I saw the following:

My son’s ticket won 1,007.50 euros. I double checked because I could not believe my eyes. I then decided to check an additional time because I did not want to create false joy or hope. I waited for M to return home because I wanted to tell him face-to-face to see his reaction. When I told him, he said calmly,
“Really?! Are you sure?”
I responded, “Yes, I am sure.”
He smiled widely and said, “Wow the bird poop superstition is really true.”

M told the whole family. He finally sounded a bit excited although he said it seemed a bit unreal. Ok - let's put things into perspective: he did not win millions of euros but he won more than the average person, more than most first time buyers and even more than most frequent buyers. The odds were certainly in his favour. He is definitely blessed or has good luck or both.

M went back to the shop where he bought the ticket to get his winnings but was told that they only pay out amounts less than 50 euros. He followed their instructions, checked online then went to the correct location but he had to return home again as he needed his bank pass not his mobile app. I teased him that he was working hard for the payout - going to and from the shops. When he returned to the shop, his ticket was scanned and returned to him, they asked for his full name, bank details and mobile phone number. Then they gave him a Proof of Payment printout with all the information requested.

Proof of Payment with details omitted

He was told the funds would be in his bank account within 3-5 working days. However, it was already there this afternoon. M showed me the balance in his account. Then it really felt real.

The first thing he did was to transfer 50 euros each to his 2 sisters and 100 euros to us, his parents. That was sweet of him but not necessary. We want him to enjoy his winnings.

The envelope that came with the lottery ticket read:

De 10e kan het gebeuren…… (Dutch)

It can happen on the 10th……(English)

For M – it certainly did - albeit in a small way.

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What do you think about this story? Is it just a coincidence? We still think the whole thing is hilarious. The only thing we know for sure is the fact that M was very fortunate, he took action based on a superstition and it worked for him.

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All photos are my own

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