AAAhhhhh, the possibilities of a new day. The bright, unending future that can be yours depending on your mood and your ambitions for the day. How your future can change based on your mood or your drive to accomplish something....except today. We have developed a fascination with the particular 'Fridays' that coincide with the 13 of the month. Not everyone, but there are a bunch that dread Friday the 13th. No, not the movie smartass. They fear that bad luck or tidings will occur on this day. I say its just another day. I remember in grade school, "they" the infamous they that always promoted or exaggerated a particular event, agenda or ideology, drilled us into the belief that that particular day was "bad luck" and that we should avoid black cats and walking under ladders, among other things.
I remember a chain of events in 6th grade that changed my mind and started me on the road to question authority and preconceived notions: Ms. Watkins insisted on showing those awful movies from the 60's and 70's on a reel-to-reel movie player and more often than not, they just weren't that interesting. Friday the 13th rolled around and lo-and-behold, she wanted us to stay inside and watch a documentary or some-such. First the bulb burned out, then another, then the machine went bad, finally she just gave up and gave us some free time. Bad luck for her? Good luck for me, I said. I despised sitting through those campy, sometimes creepy films. Even for the late 70's or early 80's they seemed dull and pointless. My luck continued later in the day at home, getting a favorite dinner and some dessert. And so it began: every year I looked forward to that fateful day to see if something good would happen.
As it was, most of the time, nothing out of the ordinary happened. Well, other than hearing from half the people I knew: "OOOOOOOOOO, bad luck today, etc., etc." Blah, blah, blah. It was just another day. As I am too lazy to google it, I seem to remember something about the Knights Templar being slaughtered on Friday the 13th and maybe something else bad happening to someone. Over the years, I thought about it: something bad has happened to someone, somewhere on every day of the year, right? Christ was crucified, rose and we got Easter? WTF? We celebrate the Christian's saviour rising from the dead with bunnies and brightly colored eggs, candy and new outfits? The Pagans celebrated the dead and, correct me if I'm wrong, at one point made sacrifices(live) and it evolved into Halloween? I prefer Feast of All Saints or All Hallows Eve myself. Hitler murdered millions on every day of the year, so shouldnt every day be bad luck? You get my point, right? I know that traditions are handed down from generation to generation and they often get distorted to suit the times. Look at X-mas. Yes, I said X-mas. It has become a holiday about supporting businesses and wrapping paper-magnates, not celebrating your saviour's birth.
I do cringe walking under ladders on the rare occasion that it has happened, but that is because it is just common sense NOT to want something dropped on your head or the ladder fall on you. I will also admit that black cats freak me out, not because I think they shouldnt cross my path, in fact, other than target practice, I dont see much use for a cat. Seriously, black on a cat just doesnt look natural to me. They should be like most other animals- trying to blend in with their environment. Instead, it makes them look like little demons or shadow-creatures which is probably why they are associated with witches and halloween. I can remember my Grandmother teaching me to throw spilled salt over my shoulder for luck(dont see the point in that one). The only one that stuck with me, and dont ask me to explain it, is Pap teaching me to always close a knife you open. It's supposed to bring bad luck if you close one you didnt open and you are supposed to wind up cutting yourself. It happened to me once and it was a bad cut, so I suppose that is why that one stuck with me.
That glorious day of no stupid movie eventually led me to question a lot of things. Why do we have to behave a certain way? Why do we blindly follow politicians or religions? Why do we have to dress or appear a certain way? Why do people tend to follow the crowd and not want to feel "different" ? I say it's okay if you want to dress a certain way or adorn your body with tattoos, piercings, dyed hair, whatever. It's okay to elect someone and then raise holy hell if they become corrupted or make idiotic choices. It's okay to question your faith once in a while, after all, you are there to find your way in life, shouldnt your way be made with education and temperance?
Now, I am not trying to suck the fun out of holidays or old superstitions, sometimes they can be a hoot. Kissing under the mistletoe for luck, step on a crack-break your mother's back, Arbor day--there are some things that are just fun or interesting. Halloween is my second favorite holiday next to Thanksgiving anyway. I like the dressing up and treats that come with Halloween and Thanksgiving is the only honest holiday there is left. Friends and family coming together to give thanks for their health, happiness and welfare. And a big meal. No presents, no superstitions, no hokey mythical characters, just people stuffing their guts and talking. We should probably be doing that every day anyway. Get back to FAMILY meals, not eating on the run and barely speaking as one another rushes to their destinations.
The sprinkling of other so-called holidays throughout the year have been denegrated to bank holidays and excuses to have a 3 day weekend. So, Friday the 13th? Nope, not a contender in my book. We need to start a holiday called- Everybody Stay Off The Road Except Scott Day, if you ask Roz. Or how about- Whacking Your Useless Politician In The Head Day? Feel free to substitute "Boss" for politician. How about "Bad Luck For Non-Performing Elected/Appointed Officials Day"? We could sell warning cards from Hallmark and giftwrap both sharp and blunt objects to give to each other in anticipation of purging our government and/or business of dead weight. Tar and feather companies would see a sharp spike in sales as well as tarp, rope and shovel manufacturers. Oh yeah -lime too.
If you really want a scary day, give it to election day. It really is a crapshoot and should scare you more than chasing a black cat under a ladder while spilling salt on Friday the 13th. Which side is it that you're supposed to mount a horse from? That was another one I remember. Wow, now you've really got my head working. Anywho--If you really like to be superstitious, go for it. God-bless-you-when-you-sneeze-because-your-soul-may-escape or blow-out-all-your-candles-with-one-breath-to-get-your-wish.
I guess it boils down to your personality. Some people like to have fun with stuff and dont make any more out of it than it's face value or its entertainment value, but I have met some that really take this stuff seriously. To them, it is true and evil will befall them if they dont react a certain way. What a shame. I hope you can temper having a good time and recognizing things for what they are. We should all be able to enjoy a certain wives-tale or superstition, often because a cherished relative or friend taught it to us and still recognize that it came from a different era. Sometimes quite long ago, when the world moved slower, you couldnt google an answer to a dilemma or phone someone to ask for help. I will continue to hope for good luck on this most dreaded of days but I will always know in the back of my head that it is just another day. Yep, just another day without universal healthcare, an over-burdened military, weak dollar, over-paid executives and too many black cats. Oh yeah--Happy Friday!!
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