Walter Jenkins Jr: ‘The probability of finding a four-leaf clover is said to be between one in 5,000 or 10,000.’ Photograph: Jared Soares/The Guardian View image in fullscreen Walter Jenkins Jr: ‘The probability of finding a four-leaf clover is said to be between one in 5,000 or 10,000.’ Photograph: Jared Soares/The Guardian Experience Life and style Experience: I’ve found a four-leaf clover every day for three years Decades after my father’s death, I was still angry about losing him. Finding a good-luck symbol set me on a new path
Prefer the Guardian on Google S umter, South Carolina, where I grew up, was nicknamed “Murk City”. It’s not all bad, but it has a history of gun violence and crime. I’m a rapper, and a lot of my early inspiration came from my past experiences – overcoming struggles within my home town and grief after the passing of my father.
The 28th anniversary of his death was on 21 May 2023. It was always a tough day, because he died when I was only 11. The anger I had over his loss grew to the point where I couldn’t deal with it and wanted to lash out at those around me.
That day, I locked myself away in my apartment in mourning. But the next day I woke up with a strong sensation that I needed to go outside. It was as if I was being pulled out to my yard, where there was a patch of grass.
I knelt on the floor admiring the grass, which wasn’t something I’d usually do, but it was very soothing. I then saw a four-leaf clover poking out of a clover patch. I took it as a sign that my dad was finally at peace, and so I could also be at peace. I said, “Thanks Dad,” as I put the leaf safely in my wallet.
Within 12 days, I had found four more. I decided to start spending time each day finding four-leaf clovers. I’ve now found at least one for 1,091 consecutive days. In Celtic mythology, each leaf represents a different thing: faith, hope, love and God’s grace – which is often taken to be good luck.
The probability of finding a four-leaf clover is said to be between one in 5,000 or 10,000. The extra “leaf” – technically a leaflet – is caused by a gene mutation, and if the anomaly is found in one patch, that patch is more likely to keep producing four-leaf clovers.
Now I collect anything from 15 to 100 a day and make videos about them; I even find them when it’s snowing, although it’s a bit more difficult. I have go-to spots to look for them, sometimes spending eight to 10 hours a day just hiking to find them. I’ve built up a community on social media of fellow collectors from around the world. Even if I go on holiday, I’m still able to find them, and then I share my finds with the other collectors online; I’ve found clovers in four states of the US, the District of Columbia, and 15 cities.
View image in fullscreen Walter Jenkins Jr with some of his finds. Photograph: Jared Soares/The Guardian When I find one, I’ll keep it in my wallet then go home to dry it between heavy books before preserving it between laminate. I now have hundreds of photo albums with all of my finds. I gift out thousands of clovers every year. I like to randomly hand them to people to give them a boost, passing them to delivery drivers, wait staff, and people shopping for groceries or waiting for the bus.
I like to randomly give them to people, to give them a boost Some people online question whether the clovers I find are real. Some people can’t imagine finding one, which is why I think they have a hard time believing it. But growing up in the surro…