Do you believe in luck?
What about fate... destiny even?
Have you ever caught yourself saying "...maybe this is just my lot in life"?
Seemingly an innocent statement from someone feeling momentarily defeated by their circumstances.
But this view of life speaks to a deeper myth that guided the Ancient Greeks and has stood the test of time, even showing up in modern science today.
The three sisters Klotho, Lachesis and Atropos would appear not long after the birth of a man and determine how his life would play out.
Klotho, the youngest, would spin the thread that determined the path one's life would take.
Lachesis, the middle sister, would carefully measure the thread and determine how much life would be allowed for each human.
The third and oldest sister, Atropos, often depicted with scissors or some kind of cutting instrument, decided how death would come upon someone and would sever the thread of life.
There are many tales concerning the three sisters, including those where fate is twisted, or where the gods intervene in the work of the Fates, as they are known.
But lets stay out of the weeds.
"Just my lot in life."
That's exactly what the Fates do - they allot one's share in life.
Klotho is the spinner.
Lachesis is the apportioner.
Atropos is she who cannot be turned. Irreversible.
Are you someone who lives at the mercy of the Fates? Or do you choose to cast this idea aside, and make your own fate?
Maybe you're a bit of both, and decide to interpret the stories of the Fates differently.
...and what about that modern science reference? A protein manufactured by a gene related to longevity has been named after the youngest sister, Klotho, and works at suppressing the effects of ageing.
"In older humans, higher circulating Klotho concentrations relate to longevity, better physical performance, lower disability, morbidity and cognitive decline. Shardell found that higher plasma Klotho concentrations were associated with lower likelihoods of frailty and particularly exhaustion."