Riding my bike to the gym this morning, I looked out across the landscape spread before me. It was a Park City postcard kind of fall morning. The sky was clear and blue and utterly cloudless. A sliver of light glowed just above the mountains like a silver halo. The air felt cool and crisp. A flock of birds flitted away as I came upon them. Bits of red and gold dotted the trees in the ridgeline above me.

In one ear, I heard the whirr of my tires flying along the trail. In the other, my AirPod serendipitously played a song called “Alpenglow” — the perfect soundtrack to the whole scene.

To be here, on this bike, in this morning, in this very moment, I thought to myself, I am so freaking lucky.

There was a beep in my ear and Siri announced a text from my friend Amanda.

“Kate, I have some bad news. I fell and dislocated my finger. I think I’m out for the rest of the mountain bike season.”

Just as I was reflecting on my own luck, there was the universe reminding me that it can also, at any given moment, dish up the opposite of luck.

One time I was in New Jersey for a family wedding. I had just gotten my hair done and picked up a Starbucks latte. It was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon as I stepped into a pedestrian crosswalk on the green light. All I remember seeing is a giant wall of shiny steel that I couldn’t comprehend. The next thing I knew, I was flying through space and landed on my back in the middle of the street. A small crowd of concerned passersby had gathered around me. They told me not to move as I’d just been hit by a bus. Somehow I managed to survive with only a bump on my head. Unlucky in one regard and ridiculously lucky in another.

Think about the luckiest thing that ever happened to you. Maybe it was a fleeting twist of fate. An accidental moment of bliss. A tragic near-miss. Or maybe it was a little bit of all of the above.

The moment you met the love of your life. The day your kids were born. That time you sank two aces with the same golf club, the same golf ball, the same hole, the same day. Hey, that actually happened to my cousin. It could happen to you.

Luck may be simply a matter of chance best left to the oddsmakers. You were just in the right place at the right time.

But what if there was more to it? What if you could create your own luck merely by being open to the unexpected curveballs life throws your way? As Bob Ross, the Afro-headed star of PBS’ “Joy of Painting,” said, “We don’t make mistakes, we have happy accidents.” Or as the playwright Tennesee Williams said, “Luck is believing you’re lucky.”

Having been diagnosed with the fatal disease that bears his name, also known as amytrophic lateral sclerosis, Lou Gehrig stood before thousands of fans and called himself “the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.” He wasn’t talking about ALS. He was sharing his love for the people and experiences his life had given him.

After my workout this morning, I stopped by my favorite Park City café, Lucky Ones. I’ve been visiting the place since I moved to Park City, and some of the baristas have become wonderful friends. (Hello, Preslee, Jules and Alex!)

Located inside the Park City Library, Lucky Ones recently opened a second location in Kamas. The café is the brainchild of locals Taylor Matkins and Katie Holyfield. Having worked in adaptive recreation, they sought to provide opportunities for individuals with disabilities in our community. But it provides even more opportunities for the rest of us — for way more than a great oatmilk latte.

I parked my bike outside the shop next to a huge window. I could already see my friend Alex standing inside waving at me. I walked in the door and Alex shouted my name from all the way across the room. He came bounding out from behind the counter, exclaiming, “Kate! What took you so long to get here?!” He gave me a big hug, a huge grin and what amounted to the warmest welcome in the history of the world.

I am so freaking lucky.