Triskaidekaphobia --or the fear of the number 13 -- afflicts many black-cat fanciers. It is often extended to the fear of the date -- Friday the 13th -- an application from at least medieval times. Well, I have a sibling who was born on that date so the family has had fun giving her many birthdays, every time that Friday the 13th shows up on the calendar as a matter of fact.
Fears like this one abound in American society: old wives' tales, cultural traditions, colonial traditions, family quirks, all dating back well before anyone can actually remember when they began. I realized the other day that I like to "attack" and "confront" such traditions. The "black cat crossing one's path" being bad luck -- is a good example. I often look for that black cat, or wait until it crosses my path, to actually experience it visually -- and note any changes in luck, karma, future thinking, nervousness, etc. As a kid I was always like that -- "challenge the convention and find a new meaning" was always a kind of hidden perspective I had on all such situations and moments.
Often times, right in the middle of an experience -- whether ecstatic or abysmal -- I find myself watching the moment and gauging the immediate impact on my life: living the moment and preserving it while I am living it. Don't know where this came from but I do know I always have had this capacity (or is it just a strange weakness?).
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