Shinybass Journal Entry 10/29/24

Lucky. 

‘I’m looking over a four-leaf clover, that I overlooked before…’

The song ‘I’m Looking Over a Four-leaf Clover’ was written in 1927, popularized in 1948, and has never made any sense to me. Sure it’s catchy. Sure it runs the checklist of ‘things’ apparently going on in 1927; sunshine, rain, roses down the lane. (And the roses were probably in black and white). Ahh, the carefree days of the ‘Roaring 20s’. Then there’s the big finish. ‘The one I overlooked before’. Well, this doesn’t sell it for me. He or she didn’t grab you from the start, and it takes you sitting on your butt in a bed of clover playing some sort of truncated version of ‘She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not’ with just four moves to figure this out? I need more. 

Then again, what do I know? It’s just a song, sat at number one for 3 weeks and made someone a lot more money than the subject of the song who apparently is also an amateur weatherman. As we all know, the song doesn’t have to make sense to be popular (See: ‘Anything by Limp Bizkit’) but has to strike familiar ground with the audience. Someone wrote a song about the botanical equivalent of a blade of grass. That, my friends, is good songwriting. 

What is the allure of the 4-leaf unicorn? Well, the occurrence of a four-leaf clover is about 1 in 10,000. That’s the widely accepted number. That is according to a 15-second internet search I just thoroughly conducted. You’re welcome. I also learned this faster than a 1927 Dewey decimal information search that the luck of the Irish isn’t exactly chance. 

In a nutshell, clovers mutate slightly and grow an extra appendage. The Guiness Book of Records sites a 56-leafed clover as the champion. 4-leaf ones that pop up seem ‘lucky’ because we don’t see them every day. Kind of like a guitar player that reads sheet music or a public restroom that actually doesn’t need servicing. They DO exist, but to find one is…well, you know. 

In our small yard/soccer pitch/cat frolicking area there are patches of clover. When we would play in the yard I was more concerned with taking a soccer ball to some unnamed part of my body while standing in goal than being an amateur clover sleuth, so I didn’t do much searching. With two boys and vast arrays of spherical objects of various hardness and size, it’s best to keep ones eyes up as much as possible. 

I have a friend who seems to find 4-leaf clover examples ALL THE TIME. I would see these pics on the socials, and just like anyone other septenary deadly sinner, I was envious of the amount of ‘luck’ she seemed to possess. I decided one day to call time out and actually do a clover search. 

As fate would have it, within minutes I found a 4-leaf clover. When you see one in the wild, it’s as if they appear from the mist, almost coming into focus that there is an extra leaf on board, chock full of luck waiting patiently to be found by someone who may need a boost. In seeing this beautiful little plant, what was the first thing I did? That’s right. I ripped it from its home and family and proudly showed my kids. 

Truth be told, they were impressed. Heck, I was impressed. I hadn’t found a 4-leaf clover in several decades. I’m also not a tracker of such things, and don’t spend a lot of time looking down at the grass except when I am mowing or drop my keys. I was a hero that day, and the clover was embalmed in a family bible, forever encased between two sheets of wax paper. 

A few days later, I searched again on a whim. ‘Why not?’ I asked myself as I took 4 minutes this time to gently rub my hand among the soft clover, looking for the ‘lucky’ one. Sure enough, I found one. Then another, then another. 5 were found that day, again, ripped from the only home they ever knew and killed off for our enjoyment. 

I did see it as a sign. My wife was just diagnosed with cancer a couple of weeks before, and finding all these little green beacons of hope gave us the boost we needed. With this much luck, what could go wrong, right? 

The reason we found so many clover mutants that day is easily scientific. When a plant mutates there will be remnants of that plant, so if one grew there, chances are more will take its place. These 4-leaf clover hotspots are pretty common, so if I were to walk out in the 5:45 AM darkness and search right now for a 4-leaf clover, it probably wouldn’t take long. I think the gamblers call that ‘stacking the deck’. 

Just like the rabbit foot (how awful is that?) or any other ‘good luck charm’, the 4-leaf clover isn’t lucky, it’s just not common. How it makes you feel is a different story. If it directs your brain into a positive place that the universe can somehow line up for you, fantastic. Even though we all know there’s no real power within, we like to think there is a little magic left in the world. I know I do. 

 I will say this to whomever is overlooking someone. Don’t. If you are lucky enough to find someone you’re interested in, take a chance and say hello. You don’t want to be in a field of clover wishing you did something differently. I got lucky as hell with my bride, no clover needed. We were married on St. Patrick’s Day, so I guess the luck was built in. 

I haven’t looked for any 4-leaf clovers since her passing. I’ve had bigger metaphorical fish to fry, but I will say I know right where they are. When I decide to take a moment, heck, maybe even today to leisurely brush my hand over the grass once more in pursuit of the elusive 4-leafed subject. Upon finding a 4-leaf clover I will smile, remember how lucky we all are to be here, and leave that little freak of nature right where I found it. Letting it live will be HIS lucky day, and that’s all any of us want.