like it or not

transcribed from the Oct. 24 edition of This American Life (link). David Rakoff guest hosts.

There was an old cartoon, it was either in the New Yorker or National Lampoon I can’t remember, where a man is sitting on a bus. It’s pretty empty.

An odd stranger boards and the man in the seats thinks, Oh God please don’t let him sit beside me, Oh God please don’t let him sit beside me.

The guy approaches and says, God told me to sit beside you.

The moral? For me, there are things in life by my own doing. And yes, sometimes things just happen — this line in the sand is tricky for me because I don’t much believe in luck. And yet I will buy the occasional lottery ticket or watch my feet to avoid stepping on sidewalk cracks.

Times like this I think of the gypsy curse, Careful what you wish for … And what happens when your wish comes true?

I mean really.