Call it faith, karma, good juju or just plain luck, but we have all hoped for just a little help in these difficult times.

FORBES: How Much Faith Do We Rely On?

As far as the farmers are concerned, it is just a case of bad luck for the British.

CNN: UK outbreak raises questions

Ashton said the Barkley injury, a strained hip flexor, was just another piece of bad luck for the team, coming after the injury that ruled Dave Strettle out of the tournament altogether, and Wilkinson out of the first two games - all three of them non-contact training incidents.

BBC: England face crisis at fly-half

If you find it is 5 am and your craving for waffles has just hit, you are in luck: the Fireside just happens to be inside the strip's most outrageously fun 24-hour diner, The Peppermill.

BBC: Vintage Las Vegas

They could have been forgiven for thinking their luck had changed in just the second minute of the game, as New Zealand danger man Manu Vatuvei went off clutching his right forearm after injuring it in a tackle without having even touched the ball.

BBC: New Zealand 24-10 England

Perhaps it was just luck, but we pointed out our view that Whirlpool was due for a rebound on March 11, 2009 ( Whirlpool: More than Just Trading Water) and since that time the stock has more than quadrupled.

FORBES: The Value Eddy Swirls At Whirlpool

Or maybe we simply out-competed them for limited resources, just as we have nearly every species that has had the bad luck to cross our path.

WSJ: Neanderthals: Why Us and Not Them?

Frederic Piquionne nodded wide from a corner by Barrera - on for the injured Dyer after just 15 minutes and Hammers boss Avram Grant was rueing his luck when referee Kevin Friend failed to award a penalty after defender Cathcart slid in and blocked Obinna's volley with his arm.

BBC: West Ham 0-0 Blackpool

So now when Facebook makes me long for someone else's fairy tale, I just remember that life is full of give and take, luck and circumstance, decisions carefully weighed, successes and struggles.

CNN: Facebook inspires status envy