Ahhh, Friday, or perhaps Ohhhh, Friday is more appropriate this Friday, considering it is Friday the 13th in the unluckiest of years known to my limited knowledge. Historically, the number 13 has been considered unlucky since the days of Christ. There were 13 guests at the last supper, and Christ was crucified on a Friday. It is also the date The Beans friend, Gabby's guinea pig, died...it is a cursed day...so says Gabby and The Bean. Many other superstitions have been passed along from generation to generation. When I was a child, it was bad luck to step on the cracks in the sidewalk. It was seven years bad luck if you broke a mirror or walked under a ladder. My friend with Italian heritage believed if one were to cut a loaf of bread with a big air hole in it, someone at the table would die. Another friend's family put silver dollars under their dinner plates on New Years Day to invite wealth and prosperity. My grandmother believed a double-yolked egg meant good luck. Yet another family believed a double-yolked egg meant impending death to a family member. I also had relatives who threw salt over their left shoulder if they spilled salt while cooking or dining. Spilled salt means bad luck but throwing salt over your left shoulder reverses the bad luck and wards off the devil. As a child, I found this fascinating, somewhat scary, and a bit ridiculous. I believe there is a bit of superstition in all of us. It is residual from our ancestors from times of fear and ignorance...this is my belief anyhow. I feel like if it has been passed on from the experiences of those who came before us, perhaps I should pay it a bit of mind.
Today, I have no plans to go anywhere. I plan to stay home in my comfort zone and not open myself to bad luck or the Coronavirus...which really is one and the same, right? I definitely will not be working around ladders, mirrors, or black cats. My sidewalk is made of cobblestones, and it is impossible not to step on a crack. Perhaps that is why 2020 has been so unfavorable? I did not have a double-yolked egg at breakfast. So I will neither have good luck nor lose a family member. I spilled cinnamon this morning while making The Bean toast. I threw some over my left shoulder just to be safe. Why tempt fate? I also will not be trying out anything new. Again, why tempt fate? My success rate on new projects can be somewhat questionable without the bad juju of Friday the 13th. Today, I will work on soap with two of my favorite people...The Bibbed Wonder and my friend Jess. I will also spend the day helping The Bean with cyber school. Although at this point, she is pretty self-sufficient...unless she is not in the mood to do cyber school, then she gives new meaning to the word needy. Although, I believe I will introduce The Bean to the myths and superstitions surrounding Friday the 13th. With her newfound interest in the macabre and classic horror literature, I believe today will be a good day to take advantage of a teachable moment. It is also a point of interest for her, so we will expand on the opportunity.
I do love superstition, history, and myth. I have always found it fascinating and am happy my bean has an interest in it as well. We will spend our Friday the 13th engrossed in history, intrigued by stories, and making memories. More importantly, we will spend our Friday the 13th counting our blessings and appreciating the gifts of the day. There will also be an avoidance of ladders, mirror breaking, and a bit of throwing salt over our shoulders. Hopefully, there will not be any big air holes in our bread, and the verdict is still out on the double-yolked eggs. With the trends of 2020, I am hoping not to have a double-yolker.
As always, dear reader, stay safe, stay smart, may luck be on your side, and wash your hands. The benefits of handwashing are no superstition. Fight those germs and stay healthy.