June 24, 2024
Greetings from the lucky one,
I’m a little confused. This is hardly remarkable, since I have been in some version of this state most of my life. The sources have varied from an infatuation in second grade to algebra class to directions for ramen. I will also confess that the electoral college leaves me dazed.
This confusion has to do with my beliefs. Or rather what I don’t believe in. Or more accurately, what I tell people I don’t believe in.
I have always been intrigued by what people will do for ‘luck’. I don’t dwell on it, but when it comes up I’ll admit I get interested. In part because I don’t believe in the superstitions that typically support the various gyrations to get in line with the luck groove.
But I say ‘good luck’ to people all the time. It is a way of wishing them well. I say ‘bless you’ when someone sneezes, although if they sneeze more than once, I’m out. I mean if they are going to ignore my blessing then I can’t help them. I can’t just be handing out unlimited blessings. Really this is just being polite and sociable, and it doesn’t make me a witch casting a spell just because I tell someone I hope they won’t sneeze on me again. It doesn’t mean I believe in luck or superstitions. But I might.
I realize this is fine line, but if you tell someone about a superstition, it has one connotation. Label it an ‘old wives’ tale’ and it has another. But if it is a myth, or a legend, it begins to cross into a place of credibility. And, this is critical; there has to be enough history for it to be a real legend. Right?
I don’t know if I take any of this seriously enough to have a real opinion, I typically just go along. You want to cross your fingers, knock on wood, throw salt over your shoulder, carry around a horse shoe? Enjoy, I won’t say anything. Although, I won’t hold your horseshoe while you go to the bathroom.
When I was a kid, someone told me if you step on a spider it will rain the next day. This mattered to me. I spent virtually every waking moment outside, and if it was raining that spoiled my plans. To this day when I see a spider in the house, I urge it onto a piece of paper and place it outside. I will admit that once I outgrew the superstition, I realized it was also a kind thing to do. And not because of karma.
Wishing on falling stars, or when you see a rainbow or when blowing out candles on your birthday cake or at a wishing well or when you find and eyelash on someone’s cheek, might actually mean that your wish will come true, I have no idea. If you show me science that supports or refutes it, I won’t understand that either, so the confusion will just go up.
A few weeks ago I was in Edinburgh. We were walking around looking at the architecture and the important landmarks, alternately getting rained on and drinking Guiness. In one plaza along the Royal Mile we came to the bronze statue of the Scottish writer David Hume. (My father’s name was Hume, and I was told that I was named after the writer, although this may be a myth)
Hume was famous almost three hundred years ago, and the bronze statue is cast showing him wearing a tunic and carrying a tablet. The surrounding churches are several hundred years old, and so it seems to fit in. This all turns out to be a little misleading.
What was interesting was that people were lining up to touch the toe of the statue. In fact, so many people had done this over the years that the toe was bright gold, worn down from countless hands rubbing it. Legend has it that if you rub the toe of the statue, you will get a little of the great writer’s wisdom, and some good luck.
Of course, I did it. I mean, why not? I’ll admit it was a sentimental act, but secretly I thought I wouldn’t mind being a little wiser. And luckier.
This week I discovered something that spoiled the myth. The statue isn’t from some ancient time, it was made 27 years ago. I have children older than that. I have socks older than that. Suddenly the myth seemed ridiculous. Somebody in 1998 just said “Hey, let’s rub his toe and maybe we’ll get a better parking place!” You can’t just make up good luck stuff on the spot. Can you?
So, here’s where the confusion comes in. I don’t really believe in superstitions, but I don’t not believe in them. I mean, I want people to believe in good luck for their own sakes, and I’ll also admit I’m hedging my bets sometimes. So I rubbed the toe on the statue, even though I wasn’t fully buying it, and yet I was so disappointed to find out the legend was practically created yesterday. Which means it’s not real ‘lucky’, like finding a four-leaf clover. Right?
Someone once asked me if I believed in luck, and I have mixed feelings. I believe in making your own luck, in some ways. I believe in hope. I believe that if you expect to see certain things in your day, you will notice them, and that may be luck, or it may be a choice. I also believe in wishing, which is a version of hope. So is praying. See, it’s confusing.
Add to that these talismans and tricks and superstitions we use to lure luck to us. I am not against it, as long as it’s not harmful, or deceptive, but I don’t want to rely on it either. What I do like about these lucky rituals people do is that it makes them happy. Maybe that is sometimes a false sense, but maybe it leads to something better.
What I’ve learned from this is that we can create lucky acts anytime we want, and twenty years from now people will be following our example, confident that it will matter, that good things are going to come from the legend we began in our own kitchen. So I’m giving you a few to start. Here are things that bring good luck:
Sharing a chocolate chip cookie.
Walking in the woods with a friend.
Putting a ten dollar bill in a pair of pants you only wear once a year.
Making the more interesting choice.
Rub your toe and it will bring good luck. If you can’t reach yours, rub the toe of someone you love.
And:
Telling a leaf that it is beautiful will bring you happiness.
Hugging a stranger will bring love to your friends far away.
Reading aloud causes the words to stay in your soul, and you become wiser.
Every minute spent sitting on the floor with a two-year-old will add a minute to your life.
Kiss a mirror and you will find love. And glass cleaner.
Hope this finds you sort of believing,
David
Copyright © 2024 David Smith
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