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This weekend I was sitting in the park with a friend when a little old lady came shuffling by. She stopped just in front of some people who were sitting beside me. I watched as she carefully picked something out of the palm of her hand which was cupped gently in the air. She handed the object to the person as if it were the most fragile thing in the world. They smiled politely and she shuffled on over to where we were sitting. I looked at her hand which was still raised in the air but covered by her fingers which were hiding whatever it was that she valued so highly. With a soft smile she asked if my friend and I would like to have a four leaf clover. I’ve never seen a four leaf clover in real life so I was very excited! She told us that ever since 9/11 she has been coming to the park to collect four leaf clovers to give to people. She had exact figures on how many she had given out to fire fighters, police officers, homeless people, and anyone else who might need an extra dose of luck in their lives. I turned my palm upwards to receive this precious little treasure and watched with wonder as she placed it in my hand. Lo and behold the clover she gave me had five leaves on it! This, she explained, was extra good luck. She told us how to care for our clovers by placing them in between the pages of a book to dry. Then we were to take them out carefully and place them on a sheet of paper which we could then tape them to. She said that it was good to mark the date on which we received the clover because it could last a good ten years if it we took care of it.
Me being the nerd that I am I came home and Googled “five leaf clovers” to see if my hopes of having something magical were true. Turns out they were! Five leaf clovers are indeed extra special. By the time I finished examining the clover the little old lady was gone. I watched as she slowly made her way down the line of benches, stopping every now and then to spread a little love to a very lucky stranger.
