<p style="text-align:left;" align="center"><em>My father used to tell the story of a man flying an airplane.</em></p>
<p style="text-align:left;" align="center"><a href="http://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/airplane.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2136" alt="small twin engine airplane" src="http://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/airplane.jpg?w=300" width="300" height="200" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align:left;" align="center"><em>Unfortunately, the engine went out. </em></p>
<p style="text-align:left;" align="center"><em>Fortunately, there were two engines – unfortunately, the second engine went out.</em></p>
<em>Fortunately, the man had a parachute – unfortunately, it didn’t work.</em>

<em>Fortunately, there was a haystack in the field below – unfortunately, there was a needle in the haystack.</em>

<em>Fortunately, the man missed the needle – unfortunately, he missed the haystack.</em>

<a href="http://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/fall-400x348.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-thumbnail wp-image-2137" alt="fall-400x348" src="http://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/fall-400x348.jpg?w=150" width="150" height="130" /></a>

<em> All the rain we’ve had this week made me think of my own fortunately-unfortunately story.</em>

<em>Fortunately, the rain means that I don’t have to fill the chicken waterers – unfortunately, it means the chicken yard is a muddy mess.</em>

<em>Fortunately, the rain will bring more flowers for bees to make more honey – unfortunately, my feet get wet and cold.</em>

<em>Fortunately, the roof of my classroom does not leak – unfortunately, my classroom is a portable building, which means walking through the rain to the bathroom.</em>

<em>Fortunately  the rain stopped today and it was a beautiful sunny day – unfortunately the rain is supposed to start again tomorrow.</em>

<em> And that brings me back to the beginning again--Fortunately the rain means I won’t have to fill chicken waterers…</em>

<em>Life  on an urban farm is like that--a vicious cycle of fortunatelys and unfortunatelys.</em>

CW Sara's email had me wondering about  fortunately-unfortunately cycles. So I Googled the term.

According to Wikipedia, Fortunately-Unfortunately is an actual word game first played at conventions of the <a title="National Puzzlers' League" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Puzzlers%27_League" target="_blank">National Puzzlers' League</a>.  Click <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortunately,_Unfortunately" target="_blank">here</a> to read more.

Writers play a similar game. We call it<em> brainstorming</em>. Instead of fortunately-unfortunately, we say What If?

<strong>Your turn</strong>: Have you ever played Fortunately-Unfortunately?