Friday the 13th

I made it through Friday the 13th in pretty good fashion.

And, knock on wood, I trust most all of you pholks did too.

I'm almost superstitious free, thanks to my lucky rabbit's foot, my three-leaf clover and the salt which I tossed over my shoulder.

I take superstitions with a grain of that salt. After all if rabbit's feet are so lucky what does one say to a three-footed rabbit? Whatever it is, don't call him Lucky. If the rabbit is a she, I guess you could call her Ilene.

The point is pholks, this superstition thing is 90 percent mental. If you think you are going to have a bad day on Friday the 13th you probably will. If you wake up that day with the thought that it will be a good day, the chances are it will be that way.

Personally I try very hard not to walk under a ladder mainly because it is an unsafe thing to do. Lots of things can happen under a ladder so why push the odds.

Of course there are pholks who have stories about bad things happening to them on the 13th but bad things happen every day. If nothing bad happened to anyone on such a day, that would be strange, indeed.

As I said, I'm almost superstitious free, but the fact that I'm award of Friday the 13ths and know about the rabbits foot deal, the salt, etc. proves that those things cross my mind. I like to believe that it is a badge of mental wellness that I don't suffer from paraskavedekatriaphobia.

But unless I was in a foolish mood and joking with family members or friends, I don't remember the last time I tossed salt over my shoulder. Of course knowing that I would be responsible for cleaning it up probably has something to do with that.

To me Friday the 13th is like St. Patrick's Day. I wear green on St. Paddy's Day so I don't get pinched and it is a good conversation starter. I'm not much Irish, never really tried hard to find a Lampion's pot of gold and haven't had a green beer, or any other beer, for a long time.

And on Friday the 13ths, I've kidded around and made a few smart remarks but never stayed in bed all day for fearof something terribly happening. I know somewhere along the line I've had unlucky Friday the 13ths. But I've had some good luck on those days too, I'll bet. I have had bad Monday the 5ths, Wednesday the 17ths and Tuesday the 22nds.

But there is a lot of history and Biblical references to the number 13 and to Friday. Modern stories, including references in the The Da Vinci Code, claim that King Philip IV arrested a number of Knights Templar on Friday, Oct. 13, 1307, have links to the dreaded day.

For those who really want to know something about this day, it's your lucky day. Here are some hard facts.

The Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute estimates that more than 17 million people are affected by a fear of the day. A British Medical Journal study shows there is a significant increase in traffic related accidents on Friday the13th. (probably cell phone users chatting with friends about their phobia).

And in the Spanish speaking word it is considered unlucky to get married, start a journey or separate yourself form your family on that day.

And, according to a calendar sequence from 1901 to 2099, months with a Friday the 13th are determined by the Dominical letter (G, F . GF, etc) of the year. All months whose first day falls on a Sunday will contain a Friday the 13th.

Every year has at least one and at most three Fridays the 13th, with 48 occurences in 28 years—an average of 1.7 times per year.

Now pholks, I ask you “Do You Feel Lucky? Well, do ya?”

Miles can be reached at mshuper@valleyvoicenewspaper.com