If something can go wrong, it will. 

Words to heed, friends. 

And it has some corollaries: 

• If there is a worse time for something to go wrong, it will happen then.

  
• It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious.

  
• Matter will be damaged in direct proportion to its value.

  
• If you perceive that there are four possible ways in which something can go wrong and you solve them all, a fifth way will promptly develop.

  
• If everything seems to be going well, you've obviously overlooked something.

  
• The buttered side lands down.

But wait, we cry into the night!  Why should we bear the brunt of this terrible law that wreaks havoc, ruin and despair wherever it goes?  Why not let Murphy's Law work FOR us, rather than against us?

I remember well the day I discovered this amazing 'back door' to Murphy's Law.  I was in some garage trying to poke a wire over a beam above my head through a narrow slot, and it just wouldn't go through, and wouldn't go through, and wouldn't go through.  My arms were aching, I was getting pissed, then suddenly I was struck by inspiration and I thought,

"Now wait a sec.  Let's pretend that the LAST thing we want that wire to do is go through the-"

And it slipped right on through.

The second time I used it was under a sink one day trying to remove a faucet and it was a real tight squeeze and I just couldn't get the damn socket over the nut.  I stopped, took a deep breath, and said, "Okay, let's pretend that the last thing we want to happen is for the socket to go over the-"

And that ol' socket slipped right over.

Let Murphy's Law work for you!
 

It should be obvious that the whole trick to making it work is that you really have to believe that the last thing you want to happen is actually your ultimate goal.  Lesser gods like Murph can be fooled with a sincere act.
 

And there are other ways to use Murphy's Law to your best advantage.  Want that doorbell or telephone to ring?  Just use the toilet or take a shower or load up your arms with fragile boxes — any situation where it would be extremely inconvenient if the doorbell or phone suddenly rang — and you're all-but guaranteed that it will.

You go to someone's web site and it's down?  No problem.  Just email the owner (if you have the address) and tell him "YOUR WEB SITE IS DOWN!!!"  That site will be back online within minutes, making you look like the panicky little fool that you are in the blogger's eyes.

And that last one is based on a recent event.  Maggie's Farm suddenly went down one day.  I waited about 20 minutes, knowing what was going to happen, but eventually I couldn't stand it anymore and emailed Bird Dog "YOUR WEB SITE IS DOWN!!!"

BLAM!  That site came back up a minute after I hit the 'Send' button, panicky fool that I am.

Then it happened again just the other day.  It had been down for about 10 minutes, but, knowing how to immediately fix the problem, I decided not to wait any longer and emailed Bird Dog "YOUR WEB SITE IT DOWN!!!"

BLAM!  That baby was back online within seconds!

I emailed Bird Dog back and asked, "Is this patentable?"
 

And I had a fresh example just the other day, although I didn't know I was challenging ol' Murph when I did it.

It hadn't rained in weeks.  Usually, when I hit the hay at night, I leave the sliding door open a few inches, just to let a little fresh air in.  That night, though, it was hot and muggy so I left it all the way open for the first time ever.

BLAM!  Biggest rainstorm in a month rolls through at 3 am, with the winds whipping it straight in the door, and I awoke to a soggy carpet, magazines, receipts, wallet, table, lamp, chair...

The next time I want it to rain overnight, I'll know what to do!

Let Murphy's Law work for you!