Anyone remember that old wives' tale? I started thinking about all those old superstitions today as I was eating an apple. Why? When I was about 10 years old, someone told me that you can learn the name of your true love as you remove the stem of an apple. As you turn the stem, you say the alphabet. The letter that you say as the stem falls off is the letter that your true love's name begins with. Now of course, I don't believe in this ridiculousness, but what's funny is that I still find myself saying the alphabet as I'm removing the stem. It's just a habit that I cannot stop doing. I started thinking about any other habits that I still do that have absolutely no basis for anything other than it's a habit, because I'm not at all superstitious.
I definitely don't worry about cracks in the sidewalk. "Find a penny, pick it up, all day long, you'll have good luck" - um, I'm not wasting my energy picking up a penny. I'm in the "Retire the Penny" side of the debate, so the last thing I want is another useless coin. The belief that it's unlucky to cross black cats, break mirrors, open umbrellas indoors, and walk under ladders is just foolish. The only reason I generally don't walk under a ladder is for safety reasons but I know that I've done it regardless. I will say that if I knock over a salt shaker, I will throw a pinch over my shoulder. Habit! I certainly don't think the devil is lurking over my left shoulder. There is another superstition that you should get out of the bed on the same side that you get in the bed or you will have bad luck. I do get out of the same side of the bed, BUT only because of the way my bedroom is set up. It just makes more sense, but I'm certainly not opposed to getting out on the other side. I don't put shoes on a table, but not because it's bad luck. For hygienic reasons - it would be pretty nasty to put shoes that have been walking the outside streets on a table in which I would then eat a meal on. Eeeeuuuuuwwwwww! And can someone explain why 13 is considered an unlucky number?
The theatre-world is rife with superstitions. For instance, you are not allowed to whistle backstage or in the dressing room. If somebody does it, they must go out of the dressing room, turn around three times and then knock on the door and ask for permission to be admitted. You never say the name of Shakespeare's Scottish play while in the theatre - it'll doom your production. And of course, you never, ever say "good luck" to a fellow performer before a performance - always "break a leg," "good show," "knock 'em dead," etc. I have done all of these things! Maybe it explains my unlucky performing career or maybe it's just really hard to be a successful performer.
The theatre-world is rife with superstitions. For instance, you are not allowed to whistle backstage or in the dressing room. If somebody does it, they must go out of the dressing room, turn around three times and then knock on the door and ask for permission to be admitted. You never say the name of Shakespeare's Scottish play while in the theatre - it'll doom your production. And of course, you never, ever say "good luck" to a fellow performer before a performance - always "break a leg," "good show," "knock 'em dead," etc. I have done all of these things! Maybe it explains my unlucky performing career or maybe it's just really hard to be a successful performer.
Is anyone else still doing some of these superstitions out of habit? Who is doing them out of superstition? There's one folktale that I hope is true - that you can find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. I'm willing to continue to look for that one, just on the off-chance.
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