What are the odds? No really, what are they?

Last weekend while on a girls' getaway, 2 of my best friends decided to go paddle boarding while a storm was rolling in. They hustled back to shore, but only after they both felt electrical charges throughout their entire bodies and their hair was standing straight up! It got me thinking about what actually happened to them? Were they struck by lightning and what are the odds of that happening?

My research led me to National Geographic which said that when your hair stands straight up, "it could be a bad sign that positive charges are rising through you, reaching toward the negatively charged part of the storm. That's not a good sign! Your best bet is to get yourself immediately indoors." This made me glad to know that my friends made it back to safety and they were not struck by lightning! It did not make me glad, however, to know that I have friends that make poor decisions!

When a storm hits, head for shelter. The odds of being struck by lightning in any given year are 1/700,00. The number drops to 1/3,000 when you consider a lifetime.

Sarah Long of sheknows gives you some other odds you may want to consider:

Odds of being audited by the IRS 1/160

Odds of being born with 11 fingers or toes 1/500

Odds of finding a pearl in an oyster 1/12,000

Odds of going blind after laser eye surgery 1/5,000,000

Odds of dying in an airplane crash 1/205,552

So, in other words, hop on that flight you've been wanting to take and go ahead and get that Lasik consultation, but think twice before you fudge numbers on your taxes.

On a final note, keep your day job as the odds of winning the grand prize in the Powerball are 1/292,000,000.