May 13th, 2022

Happy Friday to ya!    And I have to ask, how  much do you, personally, care that today is Friday the 13th?  Hmm?  Are you superstitious about such things?  And if you are superstitious, which wins out; the fact that it's Friday - which everyone knows is the best day of the work week - or the fact that a 13th happens to have landed on a Friday?  Ooooo decisions, decisions, decisions. 

Personally, I am not superstitious.  I know that some people are and I respect that.  You feel what you feel and you believe what you believe.  But fearing a black cat crossing my path?  Nope, doesn't concern me at all.  I might stop to pet the black cat, but I'm not afraid of it.    The only concern I have about walking under an open ladder is that I could get hit with whatever the people on the ladder might drop.  It 's not so much superstition as it is common sense.

If I spill salt (which means I have to clean it up) I'm certainly not going to throw more salt over my shoulder (which I will also have to clean up).  That makes zero sense to me.    A broken mirror means, once again, I'm cleaning it up, but it also means be careful that A) I must be careful to get ALL of the pieces, even those microscopic tiny ones that lurk and wait for bare feet to come along and B) be careful that I don't cut yourself while cleaning it up.  But that's all that it means to me  Oh, and I now must replace the mirror.

The idea of bad things coming in three's is funny.  Why 3's specifically?  Why not 4's or 2's or 328's? To my way to thinking, bad things do not come in threes any more than good things do.  Things just happen.  If you focus on the bad, all you will see is that bad. If you focus on the good, you will definitely see an uptick in good stuff all around you.

Here is another group of 3's that I will never understand the fear of:  666.  Honestly, it's is only  a powerful satanic number if you believe that it is.  Otherwise, it's just 3 of the same numbers in a row,  like perhaps an address. 666 North St.  You could pick any other 3 letters or numbers and give that imaginary power too.   333!  Nope nothing scary happened.  Sounds like the area code to a telephone exchange. ZZZ!  Nada.  Zip.  Sounds like a mosquito buzzing around when you say it out loud.  It is neither scary nor mysterious.  No powers at all.   Oops, Wait a minute.  I misspoke.  What about  AAA?  Triple A, the people who come and rescue you when you have a flat tire or need a tow truck!  Now there is some power!

The idea that having one particular part of a specific animal in your pocket brings you good luck is strange to me.  A rabbits foot did not bring the rabbit luck, why would it bring you luck?  And why the foot?  Why not the tail or the ear or that cute little wiggly nose?    Nope, not buying it. Literally.

I truly thought that the belief in superstition belonged to generations from long ago.  I honestly supposed that our most recent generations were far less superstitious than previous ones.    It seemed logical to me that younger people, who are far more technologically savvy than I, young people with the scientific world at their fingertips, would not fall for superstitious, silly, very very unscientific beliefs. But as it turns out I was dead wrong on that.

According to what I've been reading, my generation is far less superstitious than our parents and grandparents (and backwards from there)  and also less superstitious than the generations that have come after us!  WHAT?  That's kind of crazy.

According to an article in "Medical News Today", "Billions of people in the United States and across the world are superstitious. A quarter of adults in the U.S. consider themselves to be so, and recent trends reveal that younger people are more superstitious than older adults. In fact, 70% of U.S. students rely on good luck charms for better academic performance."

I was so surprised to learn that.  But now that I think about it for a minute, most airlines still do not have a 13th row.  80% of buildings around the world do not have a 13th floor.   Hotels and hospitals rarely have a room 13.  It's just a number folks. It doesn't have any more magical power than another other number.  Really! I am shocked.

The Medical New article went on to say that beliefs in superstition, even when you are aware,  that it cannot possibly be true, tend to relieve anxiety.   That's odd but interesting.

A quote within the article suggests one possibility:

“I think life is a series of random coincidences and can’t be shaped by these strange little habits, but I guess it’s reassuring to believe you have some control over it — especially when there’s so much about our lives and society that we can’t change.”

Ok I will buy that.  It's a control thing.  Or the illusion of control at least.  I do understand that desire for control.   It's a crazy old world out there and sometimes I feel like a seashell or a bit of driftwood that is being tossed around by a giant wave.  So yeah, a need to find a little bit of control, something to steer a better course, some bit of magic that will help me out would be awesome.  

So whatever you believe, I believe that today, Friday the 13th 2022, is going to be an awesome day.  And because I believe that it will be a great day, it really will be.  It's the belief that gives it the power.  

You go ahead and have whatever sort of Friday the 13th you prefer.  I respect that.