be in the right place at the right time

To be the recipient of good fortune, often accidentally or unintentionally, simply due to one's location or timing. I guess we were in the right place at the right time because the person ahead of us in line paid for our drinks! I got that great parking space because I pulled up just as someone was leaving. Talk about being in the right place at the right time! My friend could never get promoted when she worked here, but I've been in the right place at the right time.

right/wrong place at the right time, to be in the

To be where one can/ cannot take advantage of an opportunity. The adjective right in this phrase, which dates from the second half of the nineteenth century, is used in the sense of “fitting” or “appropriate.” It is often used with reference to logistics, as H.W.V. Stuart did in Egypt after the War (1883): “Her Commander’s knack of being in the right place at the right time.” Other versions are to be in the right place at the wrong time, indicating one’s timing is bad for taking advantage of something, and the wrong place at the wrong time, for when one is hopelessly out of luck.