That "Thornton" Luck

David often comments about "that Thornton luck" when referring to why I tend to win things that have no skill involved (drawings, slot machine, etc.). What he's referring to isn't "technically" Thornton, but we'll pretend that it is since the name Thornton is associated with all the lucky people in my family.

First there's my grandmother, Emma Thornton. She seems to always win little things from the radio, newspaper, etc.

Then there's my dad who won a new truck a few years ago in a local raffle.

And mom who won several thousand dollars in Las Vegas on only a few spins of the slot machine. She wisely didn't temp her luck, or she may have left Vegas a millionaire.

I've always won things. When I was a kid I had a knack for picking out the cereal boxes with the winning game piece. I had so many junky games and toys in my closet when I moved to college that it was a little surprising. I won a $1000 worth of jewelry from a local jewelry store when I was a freshman in college. I won a pizza party for 15 of my favorite friends from a radio station that same semester. While I've never stuck it big in the casinos, I do tend to leave with more money than I came with--same at the horse races...so I do consider myself a lucky person, though I've never won the lottery, which is really a dream of mine. Imagine $20 million. What I could do with that.

Another "lucky" trait I have is being called for jury duty. When I moved away to college Limestone County called me several times even after I'd registered to vote in another county. Since living in Mississippi, I've been called 6 times...this most recent for federal jury duty. I have to go to Jackson today to see if I'm going to be picked for the jury. I really hope not because I'm in the smack middle of so many things that putting them on hold for however many days/weeks it takes for this trial to work itself out may be really frustrating.

I've been fussed at by one of my friends for wanting to shirk my civic duty, but I do have to ask if being called for jury duty once a year is typical. And I can't seem to get the picture out of my head of me sitting in the jury box bored out of my skull and wanting nothing more than to run away and scream...