Good luck

I'm not sure how rare ladybugs are in this city. I do know that I've only seen probably about a dozen or so in my lifetime. Tonight, when I noticed my 2 kitties sitting side-by-side and staring at the ceiling, I figured that what had captured their attention was maybe a fly or (hopefully not) a mosquito. But it was neither; it was ladybug. Ladybugs are considered pretty much universally lucky, and I can only hope that with many things up in the air right now, some of that good luck will be coming my way.

It took a little digging but I wanted to know just why they were considered to bring good fortune and found some interesting theories:

• Most likely the Ladybug earned a favorable reputation from its usefulness in a garden. Ladybugs are a very beneficial insect that eat all kinds of bad bugs like aphids. Live Ladybugs can be ordered for gardens for this purpose. Accordingly, many of the Ladybug's good luck propensities may have been extrapolated from its desirability to farmers and, therefore, food and prosperity.

• Others point out the Ladybug's similarity in shape to the Scarab Beetle of ancient Egyptian and believe that the Ladybug is the European inheritor of the Scarab's good luck powers.

• Some believe that the red color represents the ancient belief in the good luck power of fire.

• Another theory is that the Ladybug represented a goddess in pre-Christian Europe and that the name Ladybug now represents the Virgin Mary and the reference to fire in the nursery rhyme is a reference to the hell the Ladybug protects you from.

Here's wishing you all luck, wherever you need it.