When it comes to superstitions, I have a few quirks here and there.  For instance, I won’t turn over a page on the calendar until a few days into the month.  I consider it bad luck otherwise.

I almost wish I had never heard the term “knock on wood” … because I am forever rapping on wood, Formica, plaster and/or metal to ensure nothing gets jinxed.  I’m not sure why I do it … better safe than sorry, I guess.

Most everyone I know has a few superstitious tendencies, like my friend Doug who won’t answer the phone before the third ring. (Or is that more OCD? I’m not sure.)  I met a Thai foreign exchange student last week who told me she couldn’t get her nails done on Chinese New Year.  Turns out you’re not allowed to cut your nails or hair on that day, lest bad luck follow you around.  She also mentioned you can’t clean your house on that day.  I never did find out what sort of havoc that would wreak.  (For me, it was just another excuse NOT to vacuum.)

Black cats crossing my path don’t faze me.  Wrong-side up horse shoes aren’t bothersome. Maybe that’s because I’m a glass half-full kind of guy.  I wish that overwhelming positivity would kick in pretty soon.  I mean, I have played the exact same set of lottery numbers for years to little avail.

I had a teacher once in grade school who freaked out because I noticed a penny lying on the ground.  Before I had a chance to pick it up, she told me to only pick it up if it were “heads-up”.  “If it’s tails, it’s bad luck,” she said.  Well, that’s just stupid, I thought.  (Fortunately, it was heads-up, so no tragedies fell upon the land that day.)  But now, despite that stupid poem “find a penny … pick it up … and all the day you’ll have good luck”, I can’t do so unless ol’ Abe is looking up at me.

My mom always said “red river” under her breath if she were trying to best an opponent at anything.  I’m not sure if saying “red river” was a way to jinx her competition or ensure she won — uh, or both.  But I still say “red river” before I play tennis with someone or, perhaps, engage in a spirited board game.  Weird, eh?  If I’m ever thrust into a “Thunderdome”-type situation, I’m obviously gonna come out victorious because of my mom’s superstition.

Everybody has his or her thing, I guess.  If it makes you feel safer, so be it.  I figure luck is what you make of it. Unless you have bad luck, of course.  And then you’re screwed. Fortunately, my luck seems to be holding out. Uh, knock on wood. Fingers crossed. (throws salt over shoulder)