Crossed Fingers

"Good luck in the New Year", they say... I don't really believe in "Lady Luck". Although I like fortune cookies like the next guy and wouldn't throw out a stack of lottery tickets if they were given to me, I think this "concept" has not been useful to me. When doing any medical procedure, it's not a good idea to expect or wish that you are lucky. Imagine a surgeon who says: "Let's keep our fingers crossed that these screws are in the right place!".
I've often emphasized being prepared and having a checklist for xray students. Then I tell them don't rely on luck -- that there is no luck involved here -- when there are so many factors effecting the quality of the final image. Like my Magic Forest painting here, the hidden specters in the rocks and the trees are always out there to get you -- to prove that you don't know what you're doing.