Superstitious

It's Friday the 13th for the 2nd month in a row. That happens when Feb. lines up just right. And when I was a kid this was a BIG deal. We were all over those superstitious signs and things! No stepping on cracks for fear of breaking mothers' backs, no walking under ladders, if you said the same thing at the exact same time as a friend you had to yell JINX!, you know, the usual lame kid stuff. People didn't tempt fate on Friday the 13th.

Does any of this still hold true for you? Do you now walk under ladders? Do you pay attention when a black cat crosses your path? How about sidewalk cracks? Mom's back not your concern anymore?

And . . . how many new superstitions have you picked up along the road of life? For example, in Mexico it's really bad to comment on how pretty something is and then to not touch it, that opens that pretty thing up to the mal de ojo (evil eye) and is just asking for something horrible to happen to it. When you see a cute baby, don't say "Oh, what a precious baby!" and then not touch or hold the baby. That would be the equivalent of leaving the baby underneath a ladder with a black cat on Friday the 13th, for heaven's sake!

I always throw a bit of salt over my left shoulder when I spill some. I pick my feet up when driving over a railroad track. I scratch the roof of my car when I run a yellow light. I can't imagine any scenario when I would ever need to walk underneath a ladder instead of around it, but I don't think I would do it. Am I the only one singing Stevie Wonder right now? I bet I am not!! I have been really careful to not break mirrors. Another thing I picked up in Mexico is that it is bad luck to put your purse on the floor. Keeping up with these things could occupy a lot of your time if you thought about them rather than doing them on auto-pilot.

Do superstitions bother you? Do you think they are contrary to your religious or spiritual teachings? Are they acknowledging other forces in the universe? Sometimes I think it is good to look at things we "always do because we have always done them" and think about why. Why do we do them? What purpose does following it serve? Be mindful of your actions and what they mean to you and what they say about you.

I will continue to walk around ladders, I will continue to throw salt over my shoulder, and I will do my best to not break any mirrors. And to my mama, you're welcome and I hope my kids are as careful with my back. :)