I'm a rapper from a small city in South Carolina, and a lot of my early inspiration came from my past experiences - overcoming struggles in my home town and the grief I carried after my father died.
The 28th anniversary of his passing was in May 2023. It was always a tough day, because he died when I was only 11. The sadness I had over his loss grew to the point where I couldn't deal with it.
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 ground 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. It felt like a quiet reminder that I could finally 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.
The probability of finding a four-leaf clover is said to be between one in 5,000 and one in 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 online of fellow collectors from around the world. Even on holiday I still find them, and I've now found clovers in four US states and 15 cities.
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.
Some people online question whether the clovers I find are real. But I grew up learning to be observant and to pay close attention to everything around me, and I believe that has helped me find so many.
Sometimes I wonder if I have enough to make it into the Guinness World Records - the current record holder has 118,791. I stopped counting my collection in 2023, when I had 2,500.
Being in nature so much has been incredibly healing; I now make music about luck and clovers. Finding a lucky clover a day has helped me become a better person and make those around me smile.
Like snowflakes, no two clovers are the same, and my collection has helped me celebrate imperfections and embrace the uniqueness all around me. I appreciate the magic of discovering these rare beauties. Some people spend a whole lifetime searching for peace; I feel incredibly lucky to have found mine.