Another Friday the 13th (alas, sadly without Jamie Lee Curtis). Not that I'm superstitious, but here's something I offered six years ago on this date. Coincidence? I think not...
Broken Mirrors, Black Cats, & Walking Under Ladders
WARNING: The Surgeon General has determined blah, blah, blah, awful stuff, blah, blah, whenever it's Friday the 13th and fear of blah, blah, blah. The End.
C'mon, none of us ever read disclaimers all the way through, so I figured I'd offer you a slice of that mock apple pie made with Ritz crackers, and a tall frosty glass of something other than milk from a cow to wash it all down. Mmmmm. You got a little something on the side of your upper lip, there, sunshine.
We've got the most highly developed brain of any species on this planet, but we're also the only species that hate and fear one another for reasons such as different religions, skin colors, or political beliefs. So if any other species has the gift of speech (and I guess, the ability to read as well and a thumb that works a scroll ball), now might be a good time for one or more of them to ask aloud, 'how come the bipeds are the crown of creation, anyway?'
On top of all those misplaced prides and prejudices (you don't suppose Jane is related to Steve, by any chance? I'm trying to imagine Fitzwilliam Darcy having a discussion with Oscar Goldman), we have the mother of all irrationalities, Friday the Thirteenth and the fear of it.
Of course, it's only irrational if you don't put any stock in any of the literature or folk tales you've heard since you were young. There are seven-point-two katrillion jillion websites (a number I just made up and have you ever known me to lie to you?) on every aspect of this day and date combination, and one's as good as the other, or as bad, depending on how you feel.
You might have a lucky number, a favorite color, or a special letter, so far be it from me to pooh-pooh, pshaw, or tsk-tsk (I love when I can use classic ancient words; I am, after all, wearing Old Spice), your values or beliefs. If they help you place your universe in order, that's fine.
I put all the cash in my wallet in order by denomination (Catholics go first, obviously) and then in sequence based on the serial number. My wife used to find this quirk endearing; now, not so much. She's helped me manage my compulsion by making sure I have very little folding money. Everyone standing behind me in lines everywhere, as I used to put the bills in order, is very grateful.
In a way, I guess it's counter-intuitive to wish you a happy Friday the Thirteenth, especially in this most snake-bitten of a year, where there's zero chance we need anything aggravating our luck. And yet, here we are, staring at the calendar while looking out the window and praying that the approaching dark cloud is rain and not locusts.
-bill kenny
No comments:
Post a Comment