Not-So-Super Kinda·Stition

Superstitions. Do you have any? Are you afraid of black cats; of breaking mirrors; of walking under ladders? Are you scared of leaving the house on Friday the 13th? Do you refuse to open an umbrella whilst inside?

In the grand scheme of surreptitiousness, I don’t believe most. I love all creatures so black cats are just another potential furry friend to me. I haven’t broken a mirror (or have I…?), and though I don’t plan to intentionally break one, I don’t believe the next 7 years would be full of chaos. By the way, why 7 years of bad luck? Wouldn’t it make more sense if it were 13 years of bad luck since 13 is the automatic unlucky number? Who makes the rules!?

I used to walk under ladders on a daily basis when I worked retail and our stock room was way over capacity and Friday the 13th’s are just another Friday for me where I typically go to work, go home, eat dinner, and climb into bed by 9PM. As for umbrellas being opened inside–why would someone want to open an umbrella inside? It most likely wouldn’t fit through the door going outside and it serves no purpose being opened indoors… I don’t get it. Again, who made these rules!?

Out of all the weird, wacky, and whimsical superstitions out there, there is one that I not only believe in, but I attest to wholeheartedly. Call this another PSA if you want.

Spilling salt does and will in fact cause bad luck.

I have witnessed the repercussions of spilled salt firsthand which has made me into a firm believer.

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I was with a friend out-and-about one day running errands and shopping when we decided to stop for some lunch. As we sat down in our chosen booth, my friend accidentally knocked over the salt shaker, spilling the contents all over the table. My friend didn’t think too much of what had just happened. He just took a napkin and raked the mess onto the tray and dumped it into the bin. Upon his return I asked if he was superstitious since that action is known to cause some pretty bad juju. He laughed it off and said there was no such thing.

After lunch we headed for our next destination and on the way, I kid you not, we got into a car accident; we were hit in the middle of an intersection. Luckily no one was seriously injured and my friend’s car only needed a new tire before continuing on our way, but I knew exactly why the crash happened: the spilled salt!

Now the thing about this particular superstition that differentiates it from the rest (at least to my knowledge) is there is an immediate action you can take to counter-act the imminent effects which is tossing a pinch of salt over your left shoulder.

I have since adopted this practice after every accidental salt spillage and am happy to report that no immediate bad juju has followed.

So let this be a lesson to you and use my life experience to your benefit; if you spill salt in any form, take a pinch an throw it over your left shoulder. Trust me, it’s worth it.