My Lucky Day

by Kirsten Milliken, PhD

Do you remember finding money on the ground when you were a kid? If you lived in a more rural area, it may not have happened often. But I remember finding money all the time when I was a kid. Not just coins—dollars! I can’t remember the last time this happened to me. Until this week, when I found a five-dollar bill on the street. I felt so lucky! It happened in the midst of a lucky streak.

Leading up to this serendipity, I was spending time with a friend of mine who also believes, as I do, that our attitude influences our destiny. I had been thoroughly enjoying my time with her. As a result, I was enjoying everything else in my life, because my happiness and playfulness leaked into the rest of my life after our visit ended. I talked with shopowners, chatted with friends, and got lucky—not once, but several times in 48 hours! (Not that way!)

After my visit with my friend, I went shopping in downtown Portland. Now, parking can be very difficult, but there was a spot right outside the shop I wanted to go to. As I pulled into the spot, someone came up to my window and offered me their parking slip for a free hour of parking. Whoopppee! Later on I delivered some of my friend's apple cider vinegar to a favorite local restaurant. On the way back to my car there it was—five dollars, just lying all alone on the sidewalk!

The next morning I went to a megastore where the lines at the checkout were mega-long. I had all sorts of thoughts on my mind to keep myself entertained, so I did not mind waiting. As the woman ahead of me finished paying, she turned to me, handed me a card, and said, “This is for you.” I was surprised. When I finally looked at the card, it said, “You are amazing. Keep it up.”  From a stranger! That made my whole month!

On my last stop of the morning, I went to a store that carries a type of gum I like that you can only get during the holidays. They did not have any on the shelves, but I asked a perky sales associate anyway. She got excited and said, “What a coincidence! I was surprised when I found one last box last night.” She showed me the box with eleven packs of gum and laughed when I said I would take all of them.

My life is charmed! Usually my attitude just makes for more fun and adventures as I go through my day. I must have had some extra because I had all that amazing luck for 48 hours. I kept all the tokens—the parking ticket, the five-dollar bill, and the gum (I haven’t chewed it all yet). I am carrying the “You are amazing” card to give away to someone else so they can have a lucky day.


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Kirsten Milliken, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist, a certified ADHD coach, and the founder of PlayDHD. She lives in Portland, Maine, with her two amazing children and two really freaky dogs. Dr. Milliken is passionate about helping those with ADHD communicate about the ways that ADHD affects them and coaches them to develop skill sets that build on their strengths in order to manage the day-to-day challenges of ADHD. She created PLAYDHD to create a specific awareness of the connection between ADHD and the value of play. Her website, playdhd.com, is dedicated to the art of using play in managing symptoms of ADHD, achieving goals, and enjoying life. She is an active member in the ADHD Coaches Organization (ACO), CHADD, Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA), International Coaches Federation (ICF), and a graduate of the ADD Coaches Academy (ADDCA). She regularly presents at ADHD conferences on the subject of play. She also hosts the PlayDHD podcast, is a frequent guest and former co-host on Attention Talk Radio, and contributes to various other websites serving the ADHD community.