Express 1

The day dawned crisp, yet clear and Tammi got dressed in layers of clothing with flannels close to her body to ward off the chill of the cold climate. The years of eating raw foods, close to their natural state had shaved years off her true age and the bountiful ingredients derived from oranges and various colours of capsicum she devoured meant she absorbed good reserves of Vitamin C. This combined with her strong immunity saw her never succumb to colds and flu as those around her were subjected to.

She frequently washed her hands with warm, soapy water quickly eliminating any bugs she may have come into contact with. Practising yoga and hiking daily saw her live a healthy and sustainable lifestyle which revealed itself in shiny hair. She moved like a tiger, easily and relaxed, coordinating her movements with light and grace.

As she stretched and performed the downward dog yoga pose and then upwards lifting her outstretched arms, she vowed to give back. She vowed to give back not only because she could but more importantly because the roll of the dice she'd thrown returned high and in the stakes called life this meant plenty.

As she wound down from the class, she reflected upon her friend Phoebe. She mused for a moment, thinking of feeble Phoebe and how the play with words represented her friend's physical strength.

Tammi had a split second window of opportunity where an epiphany revealed itself. She was lucky. She couldn't describe it any other way and the revelation filled her with excitement......and.......gratitude.

As she moved through the constructs of her day she had a heightened awareness of her surroundings. The gold coin she found on the pavement to the break in the traffic allowing her to cross the busy road quickly. Tammi thought about feeble Phoebe and wondered how she'd missed opportunities or why.

Tammi had no answers, the complexity of people and their lives were unexplainable to her. "Truth is stranger than fiction" was a phrase she used to frame and contextualise people's lives, including her own.

She skipped a step and lifted her face to the sun as it shone through the clouds warming her skin and giving her an even warmer inner glow. She thought about her breaks and that perhaps she had made them herself, rather than them being random events occurring without any reason.

If this was so, she asked herself, then why had some events unfolded and snowballed until she was pleading for respite - was this luck? She couldn't say, perhaps it was because she had overcome the misfortune; she had thrived, in spite of the odds and upon reflection, she thought, this was her luck. She felt an unbridled confidence, so convincing she thought the crowds created a path for her to walk through unhindered. It was only that she had slipped into the rhythm of the city's lunch hour that she moved in unison with the crowds, mostly office-workers, so walked in sync and found the opportunities within the throng that a natural parting of the crowds meant she did indeed, walk unhindered.

The afternoon past and Tammi broke the golden rule. She clocked-watched. Not wanting to but her circumstances reeked of unspoken ambiguity and she felt herself falling into the void. Swirling forces, unintentionally placed her so she slipped into the whirlpool. No fault, no liability, after all it was an accident, that she somehow slipped, lost her footing.....and that was it.

What happened next was quite extraordinary. She inadvertently flung her arm sideways. The force of the swirling energy against her outstretched arm was so intense she thought it had been reefed out of its socket. Its power, however hurled her 180 degrees so she faced the way she had slipped. It was enough. This mere act was enough for her to regain control and leveraging the force behind her she propelled herself towards the opening.

As quietly as she had disappeared, she then too slipped back into the familiarity of the office, returning to a better defined role in which her new circumstances had now determined.

This experience and a text message from Phoebe bemoaning her luck made Tammi realise her own richness. A richness, not defined by monetary or material fortunes, a mysterious wealth derived from an inner resource she drew on and when needed spun to her advantage.

She debated a moment, she thought had she made her own luck or was it luck, simply luck's reward, a random act crossing her path, or was it good timing, a roll of the dice which effected a sense of good fortune . Whatever, for Tammi it was the end of the day, the hand had rolled to the o'clock and she was done.

Upon her exit, she selected 1 and hit express on the lift's panel. As she did a co-worker awaited to select the descent to the outside world, too, on this Friday afternoon. Tammi selected for her, hitting express and explaining this meant there was a chance the lift would not stop. "Sometimes you get lucky," said Tammi. As the lift doors opened, her co-worker said, "let's see."

There was an air of expectancy as the doors closed. All eyes were fixed on the red light as it lit up the panel, traversing along the building's floors, 7, 6 and 5, non-stop, travelling quickly, 4 and 3 powering onwards without any sign of suddenly stopping. It reached level 2 and the red light pinged like a beacon and finally the lift reached destination 1 where it came to an aburupt halt. The doors' opening was meet with relief and celebration as Tammi's co-worker turned and smiled.

With that they both exited and went in different directions, 2 people in a world of 7+ billion people, all riding their own rapids and all able to make their own luck with the help of luck's reward as we all traverse the inky landscape of surprise and intrigue, not dissimilar to riding the rapids.