I have never been one who is concerned about Friday the 13th. Black cats don’t bother me either. I don’t mind breaking a mirror. I guess you can say that I smirk at superstition. I don’t know if it’s something deep inside me that knows better or if I just can’t imagine being worried about such things.
My Aunt Bonnie was born on Friday the 13th. She was never superstitious. She would thumb her nose at a black cat. She didn’t give two toots about a broken mirror. She just didn’t give it any credence. I think I take after her.
It has been said that in the United States there are up to 21 million people who have a Friday the 13th phobia. I’m sure that is egged on by scary movies like “Friday the 13th”. There are all kinds of reasons for the phobia, stemming from the number 13 being unlucky all the way to Friday being unlucky because that was the day that Jesus was crucified. There is a theory that if there are 13 people at a dinner party, one will die before the year is up, going back to the Last Supper when Jesus dined with his 12 apostles.
I used to work with a guy who would never cross the path of a black cat. In fact, if a black cat crossed the street he was driving down, he would pull over until someone else crossed the cat’s path before he did. I used to ask him about it but he wouldn’t even discuss it.
I would never pull over if a black cat crossed my path. For one, what if it’s not all black. What if it has a white paw that you can’t see? What if there’s a little bit of yellow in there somewhere? Additionally, I have always found a black cat to be lucky. I know that sounds weird. But, I think they get a bad rap. So, I tend to favor a black cat. Jimmy likes white cats. Most of ours are calico but there are times that I go looking for a black one. I had one once that was a long-haired, six-toed cat. He had 3 1/2 paws. I felt sorry for him to begin with but he ended up ruling the roost. I kept him in the house. I finally got him neutered and declawed. He committed suicide soon after. No, really, what he did was got out one afternoon. He never even tried to get out. When he got out he headed straight to the highway and was killed. I’d call that suicide. I don’t hold that against him.
I will say this though. I don’t like the numbers “666”. I feel that they are evil. And that’s what it all is, a feeling. So, if those numbers come up in anything I try really hard to get rid of them right away. If I’m working on some pricing, I’ll change those numbers in a heartbeat. If I’m playing cards or something and get 3 “6’s” then I’ll get rid of them in a minute. Those numbers weird me out. Across the river from Louisville, Kentucky is a Procter and Gamble plant. When I was living there in the 1980’s there was a lot of speculation that their logo had the “666” hidden in it. I thought that was bogus. I bought their products anyway.
I had a friend who was overly superstitious. She made me eat one black-eyed pea wrapped in a cabbage leaf for New Year’s Day. Even if she was on a diet she ate a piece of cake on your birthday. On New Year’s Day she instilled in me that whatever I did on New Year’s Day I would do every day of the year. I haven’t thought about that in years. But I make sure that I eat a black-eyed pea and cabbage on New Year’s Day. I make sure that I only do the things on New Year’s Day that I want to do every day of the year. I don’t always eat a piece of birthday cake on your birthday, unless you offer me a piece.
I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I’ve been lucky in life. But I will tell you that I haven’t been unlucky, or cursed, or jinxed, or anything like that. In fact, today has been a pretty good day. I’m not going to sit around waiting for the other shoe to drop.