The "Now I Have Worried Myself!" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  Reading about being superstitious.  Do you fit into that category?  If so, what are your biggest worries when it comes to being superstitious?  Do you have to knock on wood to have good luck?  Do you only pick up a penny that has the head up?  Do you carry a rabbit's foot in your pocket?  What are your thoughts about the number 13?  Do you know that at least 10% of the U.S. population fears Friday the 13th or the number 13 when it comes to dates for getting married or traveling.  Do you know that many buildings don't contain a 13th floor even though it has over 12 floors.  For some the fear of the #13 stems from Judas Iscariot's arrival as the 13th guest at the Lord's Supper.  Others pin the superstition to the ancient Norse God Loki who arrived as the 13th guest at a dinner party, upsetting the other gods and introducing evil and turmoil into the world.  Do you worry when you break a mirror?  Will that damage your soul for 7 years?  Some believe that our soul renews every 7 years, so if you break a mirror, your soul receives a 7 year sentence of bad luck.  I was always told not to walk under a ladder.  Goes back to the ancient Egyptians who believed that triangles were sacred because they signified the trinity of the gods.  Passing through a triangle (under a ladder) desecrated the gods, inviting misfortune.  There are others that don't trim their nails after sundown, since in Turkey and India there is a superstition that cutting your nails after sundown will bring bad luck.  Japan believes that trimming your nails at night can cause premature death.  The Koreans go all out believing that discarding nail clippings will be eaten by rats who morph into monsters to terrorize you as you sleep.  According to a Dutch superstition, don't sing at the dinner table or evil spirits will haunt you.  Another Turkish superstition says that whistling indoors can bring bad luck, causing the house to burst into flames while some Russians believe that whistling can cause financial ruin.  Might be wise that if you are friends with a Russian to maybe hum instead of whistling.  How about the black cat thing.  Pope Gregory IX issued a warning against having black cats and he portrayed them as Lucifer in disguise.  Did your parents ever tell you to hold your breath when you passed a cemetery?  You certainly don't want to inhale an evil force or a recently departed spirit.  I heard that you should never rock an empty chair or you will get sick during the next year.  Well, have I scared you enough?  There are bound to be many other superstitious sayings that may turn you into a frog or witch or even a snake.  But, wouldn't it be neat to be a witch, especially during Halloween.  Well, I'm sure you could add a few more superstitions to the list I have just made, but if you worry about everything you have heard can do something to you, you'd go crazy.  But...wait...I heard that drinking a carbonated drink in a plastic cup can turn you into a frog that whistles when crossing the street after midnight in the spring when it is raining.  Have you heard that also?  Life's fun...isn't it?  I can hardly wait to walk under a ladder the next chance I get just to see what really happens.   If you don't see any new stories on this blog, you will know something awful happened to me.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.