As luck would have it

Several years ago, I interviewed a local magician about Friday the 13th.

He said we tend to magnify the cause and effect of life's bumps on Friday the 13th. If anything bad ever happens to us on a Friday the 13th, we blame it on that day. Likewise, we forget all those Friday the 13ths when nothing bad happened.

I’m not an overly superstitious person. I have been known to walk under ladders and step on cracks without giving it much thought. A broken mirror doesn’t bother me much.

I do, however, think about black cats crossing my path. Several years ago, my father and I were driving up to the mountains where we were building a cabin. Between Dawsonville and Amicolola Falls, a black cat ran out in front of our truck. We laughed about it at the time, but 30 minutes later my dad had an accident at the cabin and we spent the rest of the day in the emergency room.

I still think about that every time I see a black cat.

There was an interesting article in The Wall Street Journal two years ago about the loss of productivity in the American workplace whenever a Friday the 13th rolls around.

According to the story, some people are so paralyzed with fear they won’t venture out of bed on a Friday the 13th. Donald Dossey, founder of the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute, estimated there is as much as $900 million in lost business revenue when 13 and Friday come together on the calendar. Some folks won’t travel or engage in business activities.

Dossey estimated between 17 and 21 million people are afflicted with paraskavedekatriaphobia, which is a phobia associated with Friday the 13th.

Have a nice day. Apparently, some of you really need it.