My wife had a outpatient procedure today so I took the day off from work. Afterwards we went to the Empire Buffet for some hearty Asian fare (two trips to the serving area for me). But when I visit the Empire, my favorite part of the meal is not the food but the steaming metal pot filled with oolong tea, along the fortune cookie that the waitress deposits on the table after the plates have been cleared away.

Today my fortune cookie read, “Luck will stick with you as long as you shall live.”

But my pessimistic brain sprung to action and excised the word “with,” replacing it with the words “it” and “to,” so the line in my head read, “Luck will stick it to you as long as you shall live.” However, I intend to chase away the negativity by taking a chance and playing the lottery with the numbers I received in the fortune.